Bombshell! Morita, on his way out of Sporting, gets the worst news | OneFootball

Hidemasa Morita was left out of Japan’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. The final list of 26 selected players was announced this Friday by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, and the absence of the Sporting midfielder is one of the standout talking points among the Japanese call-ups.

The 31-year-old Japan international is out of contract with the Lions at the end of the current season and already has 40 caps for the Asian national team. Even so, Morita ultimately did not make Moriyasu’s final selections for the major international tournament.

In addition to Hidemasa Morita, Kaoru Mitoma will also miss the World Cup. The Brighton forward had already been virtually ruled out due to injury, a scenario now officially confirmed by the Japanese federation.

Before the start of the 2026 World Cup, Japan will still play a warm-up match against Iceland, scheduled for the 31st. In the group stage of the competition, the Japanese will face the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.