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The story
On November 4, the Japan Football Association announced a 28-man squad for this month’s Singapore tour, where Japan will face Brazil and Paraguay. Forward Shio Fukuda (Karlsruher SC) earned his first call-up, while midfielder Takumi Minamino and defender Hiroki Machida — both previously sidelined by injury — returned to the fold, as did midfielder Tatsuya Sakamoto, back in the squad for the first time in roughly five and a half years. Meanwhile, forward Kento Shiogai, who has been delivering results this season, missed out on selection. With the Asian Cup pushed back to December 2026, this could end up being manager Hajime Moriyasu’s last squad announcement at the helm, and on 5ch opinions were split over whether leaving Shiogai out was justified, with comparisons drawn to other candidates.
The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on the 4th a 28-man squad for this month’s Singapore tour. With the Asian Cup postponement now officially confirmed, these back-to-back matches against Brazil and Paraguay also carry weight for Japan’s longer-term development. Manager Hajime Moriyasu handed a first call-up to 22-year-old forward Shio Fukuda (Karlsruher SC).
Midfielder Takumi Minamino (Monaco) and defender Hiroki Machida (Hoffenheim), who both missed out on the World Cup squad due to long-term knee injuries, are back. Midfielder Tatsuya Sakamoto (Coventry), who made his first foray into the Premier League this summer, returns to the national team for the first time since June 2021 — roughly five and a half years.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on the 3rd that the Asian Cup, originally scheduled for January 7 to February 5 next year, will instead be held from December 23 next year through January 21, 2028. This is expected to affect Moriyasu’s contract, which was set to expire after the Asian Cup — meaning this Singapore tour could turn out to be his final one in charge.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
He's probably not getting any playing time this time anyway
Same dumb selection as always
Playing him against Brazil would've been a big story, what are they doing
Don't need Soma at all
Is Shiogai over there too?
Junya Ito also named Tanaka as one of the standout players at the World Cup, praising him: "He was winning back every single ball, it was ridiculous."
Shogo Taniguchi picked Tanaka as his World Cup MVP too, saying "He was the only one playing like it was the Premier League, incredible on both ends."
Plenty of other former players picked Tanaka as MVP as well
Well, Soma's cute, so…
Just hurry up and swap him for Oiwa already
Track record matters, but whoever's hottest right now should always get the call
We learned what we needed to from that, and this is the result
This is fine as is
Matsuki, Nakano, Brian — that's a reasonable call
the stage for Moriyasu to show his crowning achievement
has slipped away
Are soccer players made of paper or something?
They're comparing players to playing cards 🃏
They use stuff like "joker" 🃏 a lot too lol
Sure, he's in Europe, but it's a second-division club and he's not exactly racking up huge goal numbers either
Well, go put up results in Germany first lol
The call-up can come after that lol
Among J.League players, I'd have rather seen him called up over Ogawa
Because his club, Sint-Truiden, is in rough shape right now
Not getting called up with that kind of performance during a 5-game league losing streak
since the opponent is Brazil
Maybe because of his age he wasn't getting call-ups for a while
but I guess once you're holding your own in the Premier League, you get the nod
Morita was awful even in the Premier League, so Sakamoto's clearly a step above
Even a bench spot would've been fine
Background and Key Points of Debate
This squad announcement drew attention largely because the AFC confirmed that the Asian Cup will be postponed, now set to run from December 23, 2026 through January 21, 2028. Since manager Hajime Moriyasu’s contract was set to expire once the Asian Cup concluded, the postponement shifts the timeline for his departure, raising the possibility that this Brazil-Paraguay double-header could end up being his de facto “last stand” in charge. The biggest point of contention in the thread was the omission of Kento Shiogai, with some posters frustrated that there seemed to be no clear standard for leaving out a player who’s been scoring consistently domestically, while others defended the call by arguing he’d be at a disadvantage against a team like Brazil. Shio Fukuda’s first call-up also drew comparisons, with some posters feeling that Europe-based Akito Suzuki, who plays the same position, deserved the nod instead. Some posts referencing the “U-21s” appear to confuse this squad with a separate junior national team touring roster — the article in question is strictly about the senior Japan national team squad.
*This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuho+) thread “[Soccer] Moriyasu’s Japan announces squad for Brazil, Paraguay matches! Shio Fukuda gets first call-up, Minamino/Machida/Sakamoto return, Kento Shiogai left out.”
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