NEWS
Eight players selected for the Japan eNational Team aiming to qualify for the FIFAe World Cup 2026™
07 April 2026

Japan Football Association (JFA) has selected eight players for the Japan eNational Team as it prepares for the FIFAe World Cup 2026™, jointly organised by FIFA and Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. This tournament is a global esports competition, with eFootball™ serving as the official game.
A total of approximately 14 million participants worldwide, including around 970,000 from Japan, took part in the online “FIFAe World Cup 2026™ Challenger Series” (held from 12 to 22 February). Advancing through the competition were four players in the console division—Tess, Udi, Ax, and Takaki—and four players in the mobile division—AO, Nagi, Fuga, and Gu_038games. These eight players will represent the Japan eNational Team in the FIFAe Nations League (Asia Regional Qualifiers – Stage 1), competing for a place in the main tournament. The FIFAe Nations League is scheduled to take place from Tuesday 14 April to Thursday 9 July, with the subsequent Stage 2 qualifiers, the FIFAe Continental Championship, planned for July to September.
The FIFAe World Cup™ was first held in 2024, making this the third edition of the tournament. As in the previous year, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.’s eFootball™ will serve as the official game for the competition. The tournament will feature two divisions: console and mobile. While the mobile division was previously contested in a one-on-one format, it will adopt a two-on-two format this year, in line with the console division. National and regional e-representative teams will compete for the championship in both divisions. Prize money will be awarded to the top-performing teams in each division. The main tournament is scheduled for October to November.
Japan eNational Team
Console Division

In-Game Name: Udi
Full Name: HIRAI Ryo
Affiliation: Unaffiliated
Place of Origin: Chiba

In-Game Name: Takaki
Full Name: HYOGO Takaki
Affiliation: Yokohama F. Marinos Esports
Place of Origin: Kanagawa

In-Game Name: Ax
Full Name: HASHIKI Shunpei
Affiliation: KIWOOM DRX
Place of Origin: Tokyo

In-Game Name: Tess
Full Name: KIDA Ekuya
Affiliation: KIWOOM DRX
Place of Origin: Aomori
Mobile Division

In-Game Name: Gu_038games
Full Name: NOGUCHI Rei
Affiliation: TRES CORVOS ARIMA
Place of Origin: Aichi

In-Game Name: AO
Full Name: ODA Akihiro
Affiliation: Unaffiliated
Place of Origin: Chiba

In-Game Name: Fuga
Full Name: GENTSU Fuga
Affiliation: Unaffiliated
Place of Origin: Hokkaido

In-Game Name: Nagi
Full Name: HARADA Kenshin
Affiliation: DOPENESS
Place of Origin: Kagoshima
(Reference) Upcoming Schedule for the Japan eNational Team ※subject to change
・FIFAe Nations League (Asia Regional Qualifiers – Stage 1)
-Week1-
14–16 April: Console Division
5–7 May: Mobile Division
-Week2-
12–14 May: Console Division
8–10 June: Mobile Division
-Week3-
30 June–2 July: Console Division
7–9 July: Mobile Division
・FIFAe Continental Championship (Asia Regional Qualifiers – Stage 2): July–September
・FIFAe World Cup 2026™: October–November
©Konami Digital Entertainment
※“eFootball”, “e-Football”, “eSoccer”, “e-Soccer”, and the eFootball logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries and regions.
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