Japan’s national football team, the Samurai Blue, has officially entered the preparation phase for the 2026 World Cup – the team’s eighth consecutive appearance at the tournament. The first training session took place on Monday, May 18, with many players just returning from Europe after finishing their club seasons.
The training camp is being held in Japan before the team travels to the United States, Canada and Mexico – the three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. This gives the head coach and coaching staff an opportunity to assess players’ form and fitness and to build a suitable style of play ahead of the group-stage matches.
Several stars currently playing in Europe – such as Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) and Wataru Endo (Liverpool) – are expected to make the final squad. In addition, a number of domestic-based players have been called up for this training camp.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 with an expanded 48-team format. Japan has been drawn into a group featuring European and South American opponents, requiring thorough tactical and physical preparation.
This training camp has drawn particular attention from the Japanese public, as it marks the team’s second consecutive tournament after advancing past the group stage (in 2018 and 2022). Samurai Blue’s target this time is to reach the quarterfinals, having come close to history in Qatar 2022 when they took Croatia to a penalty shootout in the Round of 16.
