Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has been officially ruled out of the 2026 World Cup after Japan's national team confirmed he will miss the tournament due to a persistent foot injury. The 33-year-old, who had been included in Japan's squad despite spending much of Liverpool's season on the sidelines, issued a statement expressing his disappointment and announcing his retirement from international football.
Injury Details and Timeline
Endo sustained a serious foot injury during Liverpool's victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in February. The injury kept him out for the majority of the remainder of the campaign. Despite this, he was named in Japan's World Cup squad and even appeared as a substitute in Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season on May 24.
However, reports from Japan indicate that Endo was absent from the team's training session in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. Masakuni Yamamoto, the Japan Football Association's national team director, confirmed that Endo's foot injury had not improved and that he would be departing the squad ahead of the World Cup.
Endo's Statement
Endo released a statement following the announcement, saying: "As announced, I will be stepping away from the World Cup squad. Since my injury, I've done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever. Of course, there's frustration at not being able to participate in this World Cup, but more than that, I'm proud of how we've grown together since the Qatar World Cup—me as captain, leading this team and turning our goal of 'winning the World Cup' into something we can say as a matter of course."
He added: "The current team is truly a wonderful team. I believe they will overcome any adversity and show us sights we've never seen before. With this campaign, I will be retiring from the national team. So from here on, I'll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans. The moment when the Japan national team wins the World Cup will surely come someday. Let's believe in that and cheer them on together."
Replacement and Japan's World Cup Prospects
Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Shuto Machino has been called up as Endo's replacement in Japan's squad. Japan are drawn in Group F for the tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They will face the Netherlands on June 14, Tunisia on June 21, and Sweden on June 26.
Liverpool's World Cup Representation
With Endo's withdrawal, seven Liverpool players will now represent their nations at the World Cup. Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo are in the Netherlands squad, Alexis Mac Allister is with Argentina, Alisson Becker with Brazil, Florian Wirtz with Germany, and Alexander Isak with Sweden.
The full extent of Endo's injury is yet to be determined, but the midfielder remains hopeful of being fit for Liverpool's pre-season preparations under new manager Andoni Iraola.
