Mao Itamura's Liverpool Debut Delayed by U20 World Cup

Mao Itamura’s Liverpool start will have to wait.

The club’s new attacking signing has been named in Japan’s squad for the U20 World Cup, which kicks off in Poland on September 5. It’s a major stage for one of the brightest young forwards in the women’s game – and a complication for Liverpool’s early-season plans.

Japan have been drawn into Group D and open against New Zealand on September 6, before taking on USA on September 9 and Italy on September 12. If Japan progress, Itamura’s stay with the national team will stretch deeper into September.

For Liverpool, the timing is brutal. The 2026-27 Women’s Super League season begins on the same day the tournament starts, and the international calendar in the women’s game does not sync with the U20 World Cup. The upshot is clear: Itamura is almost certain to miss at least the Reds’ opening WSL fixture.

Liverpool knew they were signing a player on the rise. Itamura played a central role in Japan’s U20 Women’s Asian Cup triumph in April, scoring three goals across the tournament as Japan went on to lift the trophy with a 1-0 win over North Korea in the final.

That form has now propelled her onto the World Cup stage. For club and country, the message is the same: this is a forward worth waiting for.