Four Hurdles Hindering Kubo Takefusa’s Inclusion in the Japanese National Soccer Team for the Paris Olympics

Since the “Miami Miracle” at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where Japan achieved a historic victory against Brazil, the Japanese national team has secured Olympic qualification for seven consecutive games. They finished fourth in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, coming tantalizingly close to a medal.

However, this illustrious history may come to an end this year. The U-23 Japanese national team is currently competing in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, the final qualifier for the Paris Olympics scheduled for this summer, starting from April 15th. As stated by the team’s director, Masakuni Yamamoto, “Honestly, there is only a sense of crisis,” the team’s fate on the grand stage remains uncertain.

The team is led by head coach Tsuyoshi Oiwa, a seasoned coach who led Kashima Antlers to victory in the AFC Champions League in 2018. While his coaching abilities are highly regarded, football is a sport where the coach’s power alone is often insufficient. The “talent shortage” of the Paris Olympics generation born after 2001 has been a concern from the outset, and players rising to the A team under the leadership of coach Hajime Moriyasu have been scarce.

The only two players who are key figures in both the U-23 and A national teams are forward Takefusa Kubo (22, Real Sociedad) and goalkeeper Ayano Suzuki (21, Sint-Truiden). While there are five players in the final Olympic qualifying squad who have been called up to the A national team, such as forward Masatake Hosoya (22, Kashiwa), who participated in the Asia Cup in Qatar in January and February, and goalkeeper Daishi Nozawa Brandon (21, FC Tokyo), they have yet to establish themselves in the A team.

Both Kubo and Suzuki are not part of the final qualifying squad, and players such as Yuito Suzuki (22, Brøndby IF, Denmark), Mitsutoshi Saito (22), and Shunsuke Mito (21) from Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Yutaro Oda (22, Heart of Midlothian, Scotland) could not be called up. This is because the final qualifier is not scheduled during an International Match Day (IMD).