Japan vs Tunisia: Ao Tanaka Makes His Starting Debut at the 2026 World Cup, Replacing Takefusa Kubo

Japan made changes to their line-up when facing Tunisia in the second match of 2026 World Cup Group F at Monterrey Stadium, Guadalupe, Mexico, on Sunday 21 June 2026 WIB. Head coach Hajime Moriyasu gave Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka the opportunity to start from the first minute, replacing Takefusa Kubo.

This fixture marks Ao Tanaka's debut at the 2026 World Cup. He did not receive any playing time from Moriyasu during Group F's opening match against the Netherlands which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Kubo was excluded from Japan's match squad due to an Injury sustained during the Netherlands game. The Real Sociedad player was forced off the pitch in the 75th minute of that fixture, with Koki Ogawa coming on to replace him.

Alongside Tanaka, Ajax Amsterdam defender Ko Itakura also made his first appearance at the 2026 World Cup. Notably, Itakura was immediately entrusted to captain the Blue Samurai for this match.

Moriyasu retained the 3-4-2-1 system. Zion Suzuki remained the first choice between the posts, while the central defensive trio consisted of Ko Itakura, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Hiroki Ito.

In midfield, Moriyasu kept the exact same combination used in the previous match. Keito Nakamura, Daichi Kamada, Kaishu Sano, and Ritsu Doan were once again trusted to operate Japan's midfield unit.

Ao Tanaka was deployed as an attacking midfielder, working alongside senior player Junya Ito to support forward moves. Ayase Ueda remained Japan's undisputed starting centre forward leading the front line.

On the Tunisia side, new head coach Herve Renard also implemented multiple changes after his side suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat against Sweden in their opening fixture.

The most prominent alteration came in the Goalkeeper position. Aymen Dahmen was handed a starting place, replacing Abdelmouhib Chamakh who conceded five goals in the previous match.

Additionally, Renard also drafted Dylan Bronn and Sebastian Tounekti into the starting line-up, replacing Amine Ben Hmida and Rani Khedira.

This match represents a critical opportunity for both teams to retain their qualification chances to progress past 2026 World Cup Group F.