News## The final tune-up
Japan's last fixture before the 2026 World Cup is a Kirin Challenge Cup friendly against Iceland at Tokyo's National Stadium on May 31 (kick-off 19:25 JST), live on NTV and streamed on DAZN and TVer. It is a sold-out send-off, not a competitive match — but with the group stage two weeks away, it is the squad's final chance to build match sharpness before flying out.
## Endo back in the XI
The headline is the captain. Wataru Endo has not played for Japan since a February foot injury, and his World Cup availability had been an open question for months. At his pre-match press conference Moriyasu confirmed Endo will start against Iceland — a deliberate move to get competitive minutes into his returning captain before the opener. Endo had already returned to Liverpool's bench on the Premier League's final day; the staff now want him rebuilding rhythm in a live match rather than closed training.
## What Moriyasu is testing
Two absences shape the rest of the experiment. Daichi Kamada, who played a European final on May 27, only joins camp on June 2, leaving the holding-midfield pairing open — Kaishu Sano and Ao Tanaka are the likely starters. With the usual left-side options thinned out, the friendly doubles as an audition for those roles in Dallas. Veteran Maya Yoshida, recalled just for this match, is set to start and play roughly the opening ten minutes as a send-off.
## Why it matters for the group
None of this changes Group F's shape — the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia have all named squads and begun their camps. But for Japanese readers the Iceland match is the most informative window of the pre-tournament fortnight: where Endo's fitness, the Kamada-less midfield and the makeshift left side stop being predictions and become something you can watch.
We'll carry the line-up and condition signals from this match into the Netherlands preview as the June 14 opener approaches.
JAPAN_FOCUS · AI auto-published
Japan's last dress rehearsal: captain Endo starts the Iceland send-off before the World Cup
Before Group F opens against the Netherlands on June 14 in Dallas, Japan plays one more warm-up — Iceland at the National Stadium on May 31. Manager Hajime Moriyasu has confirmed captain Wataru Endo will start, his first appearance since a February foot injury, making this the clearest read yet on the side Japan intends to carry into the tournament.
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