Sano Brothers Aim for Historic First as Both Target Japan National Team Selection — Their World Cup Ambitions
Moriyasu Japan's "key players in attack and defense" talk about their thoughts on the World Cup! Samurai Blue in Europe Part 1
It is precisely despair that is a chance for growth
It happened in an instant.
In a split second when the opponent’s dribble became too heavy, Sano Kaishu calmly won the ball near the center circle without hesitation. He quickly combined with a teammate in a one-two pass, surged up the left flank, and finally cut inside between two defenders before unleashing a right-footed strike!
April 9, UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinal first leg, Mainz vs Strasbourg. The 25-year-old Japan national team midfielder produced a stunning goal that made fans gasp.
After the match, Sano appeared before the reporter and calmly reflected:
“Until now, I could only intercept the ball and link it to the next play—but now I’m able to decide whether to attack quickly or slow the tempo and get more involved in the build-up.”
Even as a defensive midfielder, Sano’s ability to break through situations on his own and contribute to goals has seen his reputation rise rapidly. Michael Ebert, Mainz correspondent for “Kicker,” Germany’s largest-circulation football magazine, also praised him, saying, “A bidding war involving many big clubs, starting with Bayern Munich, is likely.”
Sano’s high work rate and ball-winning ability have long been well regarded. After moving from Kashima Antlers to Bundesliga side Mainz last season, he played 34 matches and recorded the highest total distance covered in the entire league. He also ranked 4th in duels won with 369.
However, Sano himself is not focused on such numbers, emphasizing instead: “What matters is how you defend in dangerous moments and how you contribute to attack.”
“Last season was my first year after transferring, so I just ran a lot and then tried to improve the quality of my play. But now I’m thinking about not running too much. People often think I play on instinct, but I review match footage many times—I’m the type who thinks and then moves. I can’t match Europe’s top players in pure physical ability. I have to win with positioning and reading the game. Also, defending alone isn’t enough. I want to be a player who contributes to both attack and defense.”
Ahead of him lies the North and Central America World Cup starting June 11. During Japan’s March tour of England, Sano started and played the full 90 minutes in the historic win over England. After the match, his defensive intensity and ball-winning ability were praised online as essential for the World Cup and on another level, even trending on X (formerly Twitter).
“I don’t use X, so I don’t really know what that means (laughs), but I’m happy people have expectations of me. I just focus on what’s in front of me and keep going.”
At the time of the last World Cup in Qatar four years ago, Sano was playing for Machida Zelvia in J2. He was struggling with back pain and far from the world stage. However, after earning a national team call-up in 2023, he rose to become a key player in wins over Brazil and England.
“There is still a gap with the world, and that’s natural. I do feel that wall at times. But I rarely get discouraged. My emotions don’t swing too much. I set small goals and steadily work toward them. I have had moments of despair when things didn’t go as planned, but I see those times as opportunities for growth. My biggest strength might be that I always keep the desire to get better.”
Japan will face the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden in the World Cup group stage. However, Sano says, “No matter the opponent, what we need to do doesn’t change.”
“It doesn’t matter who we play. Every match is difficult. Right now, I’m just focused on my own growth.”
“I admired Shinji Kagawa”
While older brother Kaishu is raising his reputation in Germany, in neighboring Netherlands, his three-years-younger brother Kodai Sano (22) is making his presence felt.
After moving from Fagiano Okayama to NEC Nijmegen, in his third season he is supporting a team that is making a leap forward as a midfield mainstay. As of matchday 31, NEC is in 3rd place, just 3 points behind 2nd place, which is the Champions League qualification spot for next season. Kodai himself is the only outfield player to have played every league match in full up to this point.
In mid-April, when I called out to him as he was leaving the club building after team training, he responded to the interview with a calm expression.
He returned to the Japan national team for the first time in half a year during the March England tour and started against Scotland. His usual position is defensive midfielder, but for the national team he played in a more attacking position, so it must have been difficult. What is his own assessment?
“Honestly, I wanted to make a bigger impact. My goal is not to be called up to the national team but to start matches. For that, I need to always give 100% at my club. I’m having a fulfilling season this year, so I want to maintain this performance until the end. After that, it’s up to the national team coach.”
Kodai has admired the World Cup since he was a child. His earliest memory is the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and for the 2014 Brazil World Cup when he was 10 years old, he says, “I watched it together with my older brother.”
“At that time, Japan national team ace Shinji Kagawa (37) was my idol. Back then you couldn’t really watch overseas matches online like now, so I used to record ‘Yabecchi FC’ (TV Asahi) on Sunday nights and watch it Monday morning before going to school. The reason I wear number 23 at NEC is because Kagawa wore number 23 at Dortmund. I used to copy his play a lot.
By the way, I actually share the same agent office as Kagawa, and I had the chance to meet him for the first time when I returned to Japan this winter. I was really happy, and he had such an aura—I seriously got a lot of energy from him (laughs).”
If both brothers are selected for the World Cup squad, it would be an unprecedented achievement in the history of the Japan national team.
“If we can go together as brothers, that would be interesting!”
From the May 15/22, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”
Interview and text： Masao Kurihara Photography： Watanabe Koji