Three days before its debut in the 2026 World Cup, Japan, Tunisia’s second opponent in Group F, received very bad news.
It is Wataru Endo, the iconic captain of the Samurai Blue and Liverpool midfielder, who has been forced to withdraw from the tournament, the Japanese Football Federation announced.
The 33-year-old player injured himself a few days ago during the warm-up friendly match played against Iceland. An absence that comes at the worst possible moment for the Nippon squad, expected this Sunday 14 June (21:00) against the Netherlands for their first match of the tournament.
Thus, to cover this absence, the Federation called up Shuto Machino, the Borussia Mönchengladbach forward, now integrated into the Japanese squad.
On social media, Wataru Endo announced shortly after that he was ending his international career: “Since the injury, I have done everything in my power, and I have no regrets,” he said regarding his injury.
The midfielder, who has earned 73 caps and scored 4 goals for the national team, will therefore never wear his country’s colors again. Deprived of his captain, Japan will have to quickly re-mobilize.
After the Netherlands, Hajime Moriyasu’s protegés will face Tunisia on Sunday, June 21 (05:00), then Sweden on Friday, June 26 (00:00) to close the group stage.
