Longtime captain Saki Kumagai and star playmaker Yui Hasegawa were named Friday among the 18 members of the Japanese women's football squad aiming to return to the podium at the Paris Olympics kicking off next month.
Head coach Futoshi Ikeda's squad will bid for Japan's first Olympic football medal since the women's team took silver at the 2012 London Games.
Roma's Kumagai and Manchester City's Hasegawa are joined by several other members of the Nadeshiko Japan squad who reached the 2023 Women's World Cup quarterfinals in New Zealand and Australia.
They include the tournament's golden boot winner, Manchester United midfielder Hinata Miyazawa, as well as veteran striker Mina Tanaka of domestic powerhouse INAC Kobe.
Nadeshiko Japan will depart for Paris after a final warmup against Ghana at Kanazawa Go Go Curry Stadium on July 13. They will open their Olympic campaign against World Cup winners Spain before facing Brazil and Nigeria in a tough Group C.
