Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu is desperately hoping Wataru Endo will be fit for Japan's World Cup campaign.

Endo suffered a serious foot injury during Liverpool's win over Sunderland in early February, ruling him out for the rest of the Reds' season.

The midfielder made his return to the pitch in Japan's warm-up game against Iceland on May 31, but was substituted at half-time due to discomfort.

Outside of the host nations, Japan were the first country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and Endo played a key role in their campaign.

He won the second-most duels of any Japanese player (54), won the joint-third most tackles (nine) and fourth-most interceptions (10), while completing the third-most passes (667).

Japan have until 24 hours before their opening game against Netherlands on June 14 to replace Endo, but Moriyasu is holding out hope for the 33-year-old.

"According to the medical reports, there is nothing to say that he can't play," Moriyasu told reporters.

"So we just believe, pray and wait.

"I'm always considering replacements if a player can't play, and that doesn't just go for Endo but for everyone.

"We have several players returning from injury, and we need to keep assessing them until the last minute, but we called them up with the assumption that they would be fit in time."

Japan have never advanced beyond the round of 16 at the World Cup. In fact, they hold the record for the most matches played without ever reaching the quarter-finals at the tournament (25).

Moriyasu is the only head coach to manage Japan in more than 100 matches, having taken charge in July 2018.

He is also the first to lead Japan at two World Cups, after guiding them to the round of 16 in 2022, where they were eliminated on penalties by Croatia.