Japan captain Wataru Endo has officially announced his retirement from international football after failing to recover from a foot injury, meaning he will miss the 2026 World Cup. The decision comes just three days before Japan's opening match of the tournament, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, against the Netherlands.
According to the announcement, the Liverpool midfielder was ruled out of Japan's World Cup squad due to a foot injury that did not respond to treatment. His place was taken by Shuto Machino, a Borussia Mönchengladbach player, on Thursday.
In a social media post, the 33-year-old said he was "disappointed" not to be able to play but expressed confidence that his teammates would perform impressively in Group F, where Japan will face the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden. "One day Japan will win the World Cup, so believe in that and support the team," he wrote on X. Endo added: "I have decided to retire from the national team. From now on, I will support Japan as a fan."
Endo suffered the foot injury while playing for Liverpool against Sunderland in February, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. He returned for the national team in a friendly win over Iceland (1-0) in Tokyo on May 31. However, he left the field early in the second half and continued to experience discomfort during pre-World Cup training in Mexico, where he did not participate in any official sessions. In Nashville, Japan's World Cup base, Endo trained but could not regain full fitness in time for the tournament.
"I did everything I could since the injury, so I have no regrets," Endo said. "Of course, I am very disappointed not to be able to play in this World Cup. But more than that, I am proud to have been captain of this team since the Qatar World Cup and to have helped it grow into a group where aiming to win the World Cup feels natural."
Endo made his debut for Japan in 2015 and ends his international career with 73 caps and 4 goals. He was part of the squads for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, where he featured in historic victories over Germany and Spain in Qatar.
