Mao Itamura Joins Japan's U20 World Cup Squad

Liverpool forward Mao Itamura has barely arrived on Merseyside and already her season is taking a sharp detour – to a World Cup.

The 19-year-old attacker has been named in Japan’s squad for the U20 World Cup in Poland, which kicks off on September 5. Japan open their Group D campaign against New Zealand on September 6, then meet USA on September 9 before rounding off the group against Italy on September 12.

For Itamura, it’s another major stage in a rapidly rising career. For Liverpool, it’s a headache.

The dates mean the new signing is almost certain to miss at least the opening weekend of the 2026-27 Women’s Super League season, which begins on the same day the tournament starts. The women’s international calendar does not line up with the U20 World Cup, leaving clubs like Liverpool exposed as their brightest young talents disappear just as the league kicks into gear.

Liverpool knew what they were getting. Itamura arrives as a proven match-winner at youth international level, fresh from driving Japan to the U20 Women’s Asian Cup title in April. She struck three times across that tournament, then watched her side edge North Korea 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy.

That form made this World Cup call-up inevitable. It also underlines why Liverpool were so keen to bring her in.

They will now have to launch their WSL campaign without one of their most intriguing new attacking options, while Japan look to her again on the global stage.