Takumi Minamino is called up for Japan again!
He’s back! Havin been a part of their previous squad in the last international break, where he and his teammates beat Canada (4-1) and Tunisia (2-0), Takumi Minamino (3 goals, 3 assists this season) will play again for his country in the upcoming international break. During this break with his country, our number 18 will begin qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Very winnable matches
Things will begin to get serious for the Japanese, with the two first matches in their group. The first match will be against Myanmar, 158th in the FIFA rankings, on November 16, followed quickly by the second against Syria, 92nd in the world, five days later. These are two important and winnable matches for a team who are ranked 18th. Takumi and his team will therefore have to take maximum points in a group which also includes North Korea.
Japan has their squad for the upcoming World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers and it's full of J.League stars present and past! 🇯🇵🎌
#SAMURAIBLUE pic.twitter.com/cQkpxxoSVs— J.LEAGUE Official (English) (@J_League_En) November 8, 2023
Objective: Prepare for the Asian Cup
The objective will then be to finish in the top two, in order to reach the third qualifying round, the last phase before validating their ticket for the 2026 World Cup in North America. But before thinking about that, the Samurai Blue will have a very important match, from mid-January, with the Asian Cup.
These two matches scheduled for November will therefore serve as preparation for this competition, Japan having been finalists in the competition in 2019 against Qatar, in a match where Takumi Minamino had an assist. Bravo, and good luck Taki! 🇯🇵
📆 Japan’s fixtures
2026 World Cup Qualifying
Thursday November 16 (11 a.m.): Japan – Myanmar at Panasonic Stadium (Suita)
Tuesday November 21 (6 p.m.): Syria – Japan at Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium (Jeddah)
