Japanese national team director Masakuni Yamamoto confirmed that Endo, the captain of the Japanese national team throughout the qualifiers, will be absent from the 2026 World Cup finals due to not fully recovering from a foot injury requiring surgery at the end of February 2026.
The 33-year-old Liverpool midfielder is a pillar in the midfield of the Japanese national team and coach Hajime Moriyasu previously said he would recover in time to participate in the finals.
Endo, who has worn the Japanese national team jersey 73 times. After suffering an injury at the beginning of 2026, he returned to play for the Japanese national team on May 31, in the 1-0 victory over Iceland in Tokyo.
After that, Endo trained separately with the rest of the Japanese national team at the base in Nashville (USA), but could not recover in time to attend the 2026 World Cup.
After withdrawing from the 2026 World Cup, Endo also announced his retirement from his playing career on social media. He shared: "From the time I was injured until now, I have done everything I could, so I don't regret it. Of course I am disappointed that I couldn't play at this World Cup, but more than that, I am proud that since the Qatar World Cup, I have led the team as captain and we have developed together into a team that can talk about'World Cup championships' easily.
The current squad is really excellent. I believe they will overcome all difficulties and show us an unprecedented prospect. From now on, I will cheer for the Japanese national team as a fan. The moment the Japanese national team wins the World Cup will definitely come in the future. Let's believe in that and support them together.
Borussia Monchengladbach striker Shuto Machino has been called up to replace Endo, while center-back Ko Itakura is confirmed to take over as captain.
Japan will start their 2026 World Cup campaign with a match against Sweden on June 14.
Before Endo, the Japanese team also suffered heavy personnel losses when key players such as Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma were unable to participate in the 2026 World Cup due to injuries.
