Japanese media: Six Japanese players to feature in this season's UEFA Champions League, with four making their debuts

According to news on September 8 Beijing time, the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League will kick off today. A total of 36 teams will participate in the group stage, with six Japanese players included on the competition rosters.

The six Japanese players taking part in the UEFA Champions League are Aston Villa goalkeeper Ayane Suzuki, Lille forward Ayase Ueda, Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Ito, Feyenoord defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe, PSV Eindhoven midfielder Kodai Sano, and midfielder Daiki Matsuoka, who is on loan at Bratislava from Avispa Fukuoka.

Among them, Ayase Ueda will compete in the Champions League again after his time with Feyenoord in the 2024-25 season, returning to the competition after two seasons. Hiroki Ito, meanwhile, will make his third consecutive Champions League appearance since joining Bayern in the 2024-25 season.

The other four players will make their Champions League debuts. Among them, Tsuyoshi Watanabe is the only one with European competition experience; he played in the Europa League last season and also competed in the UEFA Europa Conference League for two consecutive seasons during his time at Gent. The Champions League debuts of Ayane Suzuki, Kodai Sano, and Daiki Matsuoka are highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and Borussia Dortmund II midfielder Tensho Yamamoto were not included in the squad lists.

In recent years, Japan national team regulars such as midfielder Hidemasa Morita, midfielder Takumi Minamino, defender Ko Itakura, midfielder Ritsu Doan, forward Daizen Maeda, and midfielder Leo Hatate have mostly played in the Champions League, but the squad composition has undergone major changes this season.