Mixed International fortunes for Reo, Daizen and Kyogo | OneFootball

Reo Hatate’s hopes of featuring at the World Cup have taken a hit, as the Celtic midfielder has been omitted from Japan’s squad for a third successive time…

Reo Hatate of Celtic Crvena zvezda v Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Football, Rajko Mitic Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia – 24 Sep 2025Belgrade Rajko Mitic Stadium Serbia Photo Nikola Krstic Shutterstock

The Hoops midfielder featured in the last 25 minutes of Celtic’s 2-0 defeat to Braga in Glasgow’s east end last night. Now, once again, Hatate has been left out of Japan’s squad, who are set to take on Brazil and Paraguay in this month’s Kirin Challenge Cup.

Hatate was absent during June’s international fixtures, having been sidelined by a knee injury at the end of last season following a horrendous tackle by Papa Gueye at Pittodrie.

Hajime Moriyasu, Head Coach of Japan, acknowledges the fans after the team’s defeat during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia at Al Janoub Stadium on December 05, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

However, manager Hajime Moriyasu has left him out of Japan’s July and September matches, leaving Hatate under pressure as he eyes next year’s World Cup.

Reo earned his most recent of 11 international appearances in March during a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia, with Japan becoming the first team to secure a spot in the World Cup at USA, Canada and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Celtic forward Daizen Maeda has been included in Japan’s squad for the upcoming matches in Suita and Chofu, with fixtures against Australia and Bolivia scheduled for next month as well.

This season, Maeda has managed just one goal and two assists in the Scottish Premiership and has yet to make an impact in four European appearances.

Daizen Maeda during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Celtic FC and SC Braga at Celtic Park on October 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

His poor form has been worsened by ongoing transfer speculation, as the 27-year-old revealed last month that he had reached an agreement with a German club during the summer, only for Celtic to prevent the switch at the eleventh hour.

It appears as if Maeda will be at the World Cup next summer but whether he will be with Celtic during the tournament remains to be seen. It is looking increasingly likely that the Hoops will cash in on last season’s Scottish Premiership POTY in January given he has less than two years on his deal.

Kyogo Furuhashi of Birmingham City celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Carabao Cup first round match between Birmingham City and Sheffield United at St Andrew’s at Knighthead Park on August 13, 2025. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Meanwhile there is no place in the Japan squad for former Celtic striker Kyogo who left Celtic for Rennes in January to pursue his goal of playing in a World Cup with his national side. That move didn’t work out and he subsequently joined English Championship side Birmingham City in the summer.

Conor Spence

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