Japan 2023 AFC Asian Cup Squad

Japan 2023 AFC Asian Cup Squad

Head Coach: Hajime Moriyasu

No. Pos. Player Date of Birth/Age Caps Goals Club 1 GK Daiya Maekawa 8 September 1994 (age 29) 1 0 Vissel Kobe 12 GK Taishi Brandon Nozawa 25 December 2002 (age 21) 0 0 FC Tokyo 23 GK Zion Suzuki 21 August 2002 (age 21) 4 0 Sint-Truidense 2 DF Yukinari Sugawara 28 June 2000 (age 23) 9 1 AZ Alkmaar 3 DF Shogo Taniguchi 15 July 1991 (age 32) 24 1 Al-Rayyan 4 DF Ko Itakura 27 January 1997 (age 26) 22 1 Borussia Monchengladbach 15 DF Koki Machida 25 August 1997 (age 26) 6 0 Union Saint-Gilloise 16 DF Seiya Maikuma 16 October 1997 (age 26) 4 0 Cerezo Osaka 19 DF Yuta Nakayama 16 February 1997 (age 26) 20 0 Huddersfield Town 21 DF Hiroki Ito 12 May 1999 (age 24) 13 1 VfB Stuttgart 22 DF Takehiro Tomiyasu 5 November 1998 (age 25) 37 1 Arsenal 24 DF Tsuyoshi Watanabe 5 February 1997 (age 26) 2 0 Gent 5 MF Hidemasa Morita 10 May 1995 (age 28) 28 2 Sporting CP 6 MF Wataru Endō (captain) 9 February 1993 (age 30) 55 2 Liverpool 7 MF Kaoru Mitoma 20 May 1997 (age 26) 18 7 Brighton & Hove Albion 8 MF Takumi Minamino 16 January 1995 (age 28) 52 18 Monaco 10 MF Ritsu Doan 16 June 1998 (age 25) 42 7 SC Freiburg 13 MF Keito Nakamura 28 July 2000 (age 23) 5 5 Reims 14 MF Junya Ito 9 March 1993 (age 30) 51 13 Reims 17 MF Reo Hatate 21 November 1997 (age 26) 5 0 Celtic 20 MF Takefusa Kubo 4 June 2001 (age 22) 29 3 Real Sociedad 26 MF Kaishu Sano 30 December 2000 (age 23) 2 0 Kashima Antlers 9 FW Ayase Ueda 28 August 1998 (age 25) 19 7 Feyenoord 11 FW Mao Hosoya 7 September 2001 (age 22) 4 1 Kashiwa Reysol 18 FW Takuma Asano 10 November 1994 (age 29) 48 9 VfL Bochum 25 FW Daizen Maeda 20 October 1997 (age 26) 13 3 Celtic

Most Capped Player: Yasuhito Endō – 152
Top Goalscorer: Kunishige Kamamoto – 75

Japan 2023 Asian Cup Preview

Just over a year on from their impressive display at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Japan return to Qatar for another major international tournament – this time the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. It’ll take something special to top their wins over Germany and Spain at the World Cup, however they come into this competition as the highest ranked team.

Having qualified as second round Group F winners in qualifying, Japan’s 20th place FIFA World Ranking position in April saw them allocated a position in ‘Pot 1’. Subsequently, they were drawn in Group D for the tournament’s finals alongside Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam.

Their campaign gets underway on 14 January against Vietnam in Doha, followed by a clash against Iraq in Al-Rayyan five days later, before they round off their group stage action against Indonesia on 24 January.

Japan Player To Watch

There are a plethora of Japanese players to look out for at this year’s Asian Cup in Qatar, with impressive youngsters Takefusa Kubo and Zion Suzuki involved in the squad, however we’ve identified Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endō as the standout.

30-year-old Endō’s arrival on Merseyside raised a few eyebrows, especially given his age, but he has settled in perfectly and has began to really strut his stuff in the Premier League in the lead up to the New Year.

The midfielder has solidified his starting berth in Jurgen Klopp’s line-up in recent weeks, starting eight successive matches for the Reds, and even netted his first goal in the English top flight at the start of December – rifling home the leveller in a dramatic 4-3 win over Fulham at Anfield.

If Japan’s most recent fixtures are anything to go by, Endō is likely to anchor the midfield alongside Sporting’s Hidemasa Morita at the Asian Cup as the Samurai Blues aim to lift the title for a record breaking fifth time.