The 2026 FIFA World Cup looked a little different than past World Cups for Maya Yoshida.
The three-time World Cup Japan National Team player and 2022 World Cup captain joined the team as a support player for this summer’s tournament in North America. Yoshida, 37, was the bridge between the players and the coaching staff, giving instructions from the coaches and returning feedback from the players and what he saw as part of the training squad.
“Players asked me many things, and staff asked me many things. How players think, how players feel. It was something unique, something I’d never done before in the Japanese national team,” Yoshida told LAGalaxy.com. “I tried my best to increase any opportunities for us to win the World Cup by 1 percent or 1 millimeter.”
After the Galaxy’s 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in Seattle on May 16, Yoshida received a call. The Japan National Team wanted to do a guard of honor for him and give him one more cap for his national team in a send-off friendly against Iceland ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yoshida initially rejected the offer as he did not want to be a distraction to the players as they prepared for the World Cup. But after some convincing that his presence would have a positive impact, he agreed, joining up with the team for training ahead of the game at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.
“I was sad day by day, losing my time with the national team. It's coming one day for everybody,” Yoshida said. “This is different from any job. This is the best job ever.”
Following his short run out with the team against Iceland, Yoshida was proposed another opportunity with the national team: joining them at the World Cup as a support player. This time, Yoshida accepted, but had to cancel his plans of commentating on Japanese television.
He flew back to Los Angeles with his family before meeting the national team in Monterrey, Mexico as they prepared for the group stage. Japan drew the Netherlands in a back-and-forth thriller 2-2 to open their campaign before routing Tunisia 4-0 and drawing with Sweden 1-1 to close out the group, finishing second. But this meant facing Brazil in the Round of 32.
That daunting matchup against the five-time men’s World Cup winners was nothing new for Japan, who beat both Germany and Spain in the 2022 tournament. Yoshida says the victory over Spain in 2022 is the highlight of his Japan tenure, especially after watching them dominate the 2026 tournament as they achieved their second men’s World Cup title.
In 2026, he had the itch to get on the field to help Japan get the result but could only watch on and motivate from the touchline. The Round of 32 ended in heartbreak as a 90+6-minute goal for Brazil completed a comeback 2-1 win and eliminated the Samurai Blue.
“This was the first World Cup where I didn’t get nervous before a game,” Yoshida said. “I prepared well. I prepared for the team. I do everything that I can do then the 90 minutes is different. It’s up to them. Of course I can give them advice, I can talk, at halftime, before the game, at the hydration break, but other than that it’s up to them. I have no power to change the things.”
Yoshida was there to console his teammates as their run ended, trying his best to leave them better than he found them.
“This is a different role from where I was before but still very glad to join the team, see the young teammates improve a lot and also respecting the heritage of the team and that’s what I carry on from my senior teammates to bring down to the young teammates,” Yoshida said. “Many players told me that they appreciated my effort. That is the biggest thing for me.”
The experience left Yoshida with a newfound love for coaching. Already holding a UEFA B Coaching License, he is now in the process of obtaining a UEFA A Coaching License, which would allow him to take a head coaching job at the highest levels of the game.
But first, he returns to the Galaxy, ready to bring more intensity to the second half of the season after playing a role in a major tournament. The high level of a World Cup has inspired the 2024 MLS Cup-winning captain to bring that fervor back to LA.
“We need to set high standards like [against] San Jose. They [were] second in the table and still a good team, and we did a good job,” Yoshida said. “That has to be the minimum standard for us. We need to improve through the summer. That’s my next target.”
