How many ball recoveries Japan make, and who makes most.
Updated 28 September 2026, after the last game
Zion Suzuki has made the most ball recoveries for Japan in 2026, 48 in eight appearances, 6.00 a game, ahead of Ao Tanaka with 28 and Daichi Kamada with 24, across all competitions.
Japan make more ball recoveries away from home, 42.5 a game in their last 10 away games against 39.6 in their last 10 at home.
Japan made 51 ball recoveries away at Scotland on 28 March, their most in a game in 2026, against an average of 34.2 across their nine games, and their fewest was none at home to Uruguay on 24 September.
| Player | Apps | Ball Recoveries | Per game | Games with 1+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Suzuki | 8 | 48 | 6.00 | 8 |
| Ao Tanaka | 8 | 28 | 3.50 | 6 |
| Daichi Kamada | 9 | 27 | 3.00 | 8 |
| Keito Nakamura | 10 | 26 | 2.60 | 9 |
| Kaishu Sano | 6 | 17 | 2.83 | 4 |
| Ayumu Seko | 8 | 16 | 2.00 | 6 |
| Hiroki Ito | 9 | 16 | 1.78 | 5 |
| Ritsu Doan | 10 | 15 | 1.50 | 8 |
| Junya Ito | 9 | 13 | 1.44 | 6 |
| Daizen Maeda | 6 | 12 | 2.00 | 4 |
| Ayase Ueda | 10 | 12 | 1.20 | 6 |
| Joel Chima Fujita | 2 | 10 | 5.00 | 2 |
| Shogo Taniguchi | 7 | 10 | 1.43 | 5 |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | 4 | 9 | 2.25 | 3 |
| Takefusa Kubo | 5 | 9 | 1.80 | 4 |
| Ko Itakura | 5 | 9 | 1.80 | 3 |
| Tsuyoshi Watanabe | 6 | 9 | 1.50 | 4 |
| Yukinari Sugawara | 8 | 8 | 1.00 | 4 |
| Wataru Endo | 2 | 6 | 3.00 | 2 |
| Junnosuke Suzuki | 6 | 6 | 1.00 | 3 |
| Kaoru Mitoma | 2 | 5 | 2.50 | 2 |
| T. Hayakawa | 3 | 4 | 1.33 | 1 |
| Yuito Suzuki | 4 | 4 | 1.00 | 2 |
| Leo Kokubo | 1 | 3 | 3.00 | 1 |
| Satoshi Tanaka | 1 | 3 | 3.00 | 1 |
| Yuki Soma | 2 | 3 | 1.50 | 1 |
| Kento Shiogai | 4 | 3 | 0.75 | 3 |
| Shuto Nakano | 1 | 2 | 2.00 | 1 |
| Keisuke Goto | 5 | 2 | 0.40 | 2 |
| Koki Ogawa | 6 | 2 | 0.33 | 2 |
| Kaina Tanimura | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 1 |
| Koki Kumasaka | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 1 |
| Shunsuke Saito | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 1 |
| Takumi Minamino | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Daiki Hashioka | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Ryunosuke Sato | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Maya Yoshida | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Kuryu Matsuki | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Kodai Sano | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Yuto Nagatomo | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Shuto Machino | 3 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Date | Opponent | Competition | Score | Japan | Opponent | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 2026 | Venezuela (H) | Friendly International | 2-1 | 40 | 39 | 79 |
| 24 Sep 2026 | Uruguay (H) | Friendly International | 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | Brazil (A) | World Cup | 2-1 | 32 | 38 | 70 |
| 26 Jun 2026 | Sweden (H) | World Cup | 1-1 | 42 | 39 | 81 |
| 21 Jun 2026 | Tunisia (A) | World Cup | 0-4 | 35 | 38 | 73 |
| 14 Jun 2026 | Netherlands (A) | World Cup | 2-2 | 26 | 26 | 52 |
| 31 May 2026 | Iceland (H) | Friendly International | 1-0 | 35 | 40 | 75 |
| 31 Mar 2026 | England (A) | Friendly International | 0-1 | 47 | 57 | 104 |
| 28 Mar 2026 | Scotland (A) | Friendly International | 0-1 | 51 | 50 | 101 |
| 18 Nov 2025 | Bolivia (H) | Friendly International | 3-0 | 32 | 38 | 70 |
| Line | Games over | Hit rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan ball recoveries | Over 20.5 | 9 of 10 | 90% |
| Japan ball recoveries | Over 25.5 | 9 of 10 | 90% |
| Japan ball recoveries | Over 30.5 | 8 of 10 | 80% |
| Japan ball recoveries | Over 35.5 | 4 of 10 | 40% |
| Japan ball recoveries | Over 40.5 | 3 of 10 | 30% |
| Opponent ball recoveries | Over 20.5 | 9 of 10 | 90% |
| Opponent ball recoveries | Over 25.5 | 9 of 10 | 90% |
| Opponent ball recoveries | Over 30.5 | 8 of 10 | 80% |
| Opponent ball recoveries | Over 35.5 | 8 of 10 | 80% |
| Opponent ball recoveries | Over 40.5 | 2 of 10 | 20% |
| Total ball recoveries | Over 50.5 | 9 of 10 | 90% |
| Total ball recoveries | Over 60.5 | 8 of 10 | 80% |
| Total ball recoveries | Over 70.5 | 6 of 10 | 60% |
| Total ball recoveries | Over 80.5 | 3 of 10 | 30% |
| Total ball recoveries | Over 90.5 | 2 of 10 | 20% |