Japan's captain withdraws from the tournament just before the opening match of the 2026 World Cup

Shortly afterward, the Liverpool FC midfielder unexpectedly announced his departure from the national team. The decision came just three days before Japan's opening match against the Netherlands in Group F.

On his personal X account, Wataru Endo expressed pride in serving as captain of the "Blue Samurai," while also conveying his confidence in the current generation and the future of Japanese football. The Japan captain admitted his regret at missing this World Cup, but also affirmed his pride in having been part of and grown with a team brave enough to publicly set the goal of winning the World Cup.

The Liverpool star had undergone surgery on his left foot at the end of February. In the final friendly match before heading to the World Cup, Endo only played one half before having to leave the pitch. During recent training days in Nashville, where the Japan team is based in preparation for the World Cup, Endo mainly trained individually before rejoining the team for part of the session on June 11.

Japan national team director Masakuni Yamamoto stated that head coach Hajime Moriyasu made the final decision after receiving the medical department's assessment report. Following Endo's withdrawal, Ajax Amsterdam defender Ko Itakura was appointed as the new captain of the Japan national team. Meanwhile, Borussia Monchengladbach forward Shuto Machino was called up as a replacement for Endo in the tournament roster.

In his farewell message, Endo urged Japanese fans to continue supporting the team on their journey to conquer the World Cup. He affirmed that the current Japan team is a wonderful group and expressed his belief that his teammates would overcome all difficulties to achieve what Japanese football has never accomplished before.