Daichi Kamada is in the frame as Japan kept preparing for Tunisia on June 17, but Takefusa Kubo stayed at the team hotel for treatment and rehabilitation after a left knee injury. His chances of playing in the World Cup Group F match on June 21 are considered slim.
Japan worked through a largely closed session near Nashville, Tennessee, with the Tunisia World Cup match now the immediate target. The team drew its opening match against the Netherlands on June 14, so this week’s work carries real selection weight before the trip to Monterrey, Mexico.
Takefusa Kubo stays back
Kubo’s absence from training changes the shape of Japan’s buildup. He did not join the field session and instead remained at the hotel for treatment and rehabilitation after the injury he suffered against the Netherlands.
That leaves Japan preparing without one of its most direct attacking options while the squad narrows its focus toward Tunisia. A player listed in that condition is not a routine match-day call; the team has to plan around the possibility that he will not be available.
Ayase Ueda trains separately
Ayase Ueda also worked apart from the main group on June 17 as a precaution because of fatigue. That detail matters because Japan is already handling one major fitness issue, and it cannot afford to stack unnecessary load on another starter option before June 21.
The practical effect is simple. Japan enters the Tunisia match with one attacker in rehab and another managed cautiously, which pushes the coaching staff toward a more conservative selection decision. For a team still chasing its first victory of the tournament after the draw on June 14, the lineup against Tunisia now carries more uncertainty than a standard training day would allow.
Monterrey on June 21
Japan’s second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 comes in Monterrey, Mexico, and the timing gives Kubo only a short window to make a case for selection. With his chances described as slim, the safer reading is that Japan must prepare for a Tunisia match without him.
That is the central football decision now facing Japan: whether to build the attack around the players available on June 21 or hold the door open for a late fitness turn from Kubo. The way Japan trained on June 17 suggests the first option is the one the team is already leaning toward.
