Mao Itamura's Liverpool Debut Delayed by U20 World Cup Call-Up

Mao Itamura’s Liverpool debut will have to wait.

The new Liverpool FC Women forward has been called up by Japan for the U20 World Cup, which kicks off in Poland on September 5, and is set to spearhead their attack on the global stage rather than at Prenton Park on opening day.

Group Stage Matches

Japan have been drawn into Group D and face a demanding schedule: New Zealand on September 6, USA on September 9, and Italy on September 12. Itamura is expected to play a central role in all three fixtures, a responsibility that underlines just how highly she is rated in her national setup.

For Liverpool, the timing could hardly be worse. The 2026-27 Women’s Super League season begins on the same day the U20 World Cup starts, and the women’s international calendar is not aligned to accommodate the tournament. That clash all but guarantees Itamura will miss at least the Reds’ first league match of the campaign.

Japan are not taking a prospect; they are taking a proven match-winner. Itamura was a standout performer at the U20 Women’s Asian Cup in April, scoring three times across the tournament as Japan marched to the title. She helped drive that run all the way to a tight 1-0 victory over North Korea in the final, a result that sealed the trophy and her status as one of the brightest young attackers in her age group.

Liverpool will have to plan without her to start the WSL season. Japan, meanwhile, will build their World Cup challenge around a player who already knows what it takes to deliver in knockout football.