Daizen Maeda has been named in Japan’s squad for upcoming international fixtures against Scotland and England, with matches scheduled at Hampden and Wembley.
The Celtic forward has been included in Hajime Moriyasu’s latest selection for the Kirin World Challenge 2026 double-header, continuing his involvement with the national setup.
Notably absent from the squad, however, is club teammate Reo Hatate. The midfielder has shown encouraging signs of returning to form at club level in recent weeks, most notably with a standout display against Rangers at Ibrox earlier this month, but that has not been enough to earn him a recall. Hatate has not featured for Japan in over a year and remains on 11 caps, with Moriyasu apparently unconvinced despite the upturn in his Celtic performances.
Maeda is joined in the squad by several other players based in Britain. Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka and Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada have all been selected. Maeda himself has made 26 appearances for Japan since his debut in 2019, scoring four times.