Japan captain Endo Wataru dropped from World Cup squad, announces international retirement

Japan captain Endo Wataru (33, Liverpool) has been ruled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad after failing to recover from injury.

The Japan Football Association held a press conference Thursday at the national team's base camp in Nashville, Tennessee, officially announcing Endo's withdrawal from the squad.

Endo injured his left foot during a club match in February and underwent surgery. He returned to the national team after rehabilitation and appeared in a friendly against Iceland on May 31, but was substituted out at halftime after the pain recurred.

With the World Cup opening Friday, Endo was formally dropped from the squad and departed the base camp.

Capable of playing as a defensive midfielder or center back, Endo made his professional debut with Shonan Bellmare in Japan's J.League in 2010. He later joined Urawa Reds before moving to Sint-Truiden in Belgium in 2018, marking his entry into European football.

He transferred to Stuttgart in Germany in 2019 and has been with Liverpool in the English Premier League since August 2023, now in his third season at the club.

Endo had been expected to captain Japan at this tournament but ultimately could not overcome the effects of his injury.

First called up to the national team in 2015, Endo scored four goals in 73 international appearances. He announced his retirement from international football Friday.

"I have no regrets — I did everything I could after getting injured," he said. "I'm proud that since the Qatar World Cup, I was able to lead the team as captain and help grow it into a side that can talk about winning the World Cup."

"I have decided to retire from the national team after this call-up," he added. "From now on, I will support the team as a fan. Give it everything you've got — no regrets!"

Japan called up forward Machino Shuto of Borussia Mönchengladbach as Endo's replacement. Defender Itakura Ko of Ajax will take over the captain's armband.

Japan are drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden. The team's best-ever World Cup finish is the round of 16.

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