Mao Itamura's Liverpool Start Delayed by U20 World Cup

Mao Itamura’s Liverpool start will have to wait.

The new Liverpool FC Women forward has been called up by Japan for the U20 World Cup in Poland, which kicks off on September 5. It’s a major stage for one of the most exciting young attackers in the women’s game – and a logistical headache for her new club.

Japan have been drawn into Group D and open against New Zealand on September 6, before meeting USA on September 9 and Italy on September 12. With the tournament schedule running straight through the start of the domestic season, Liverpool know what that means.

The 2026-27 Women’s Super League campaign begins on the same day the World Cup gets underway, and the international calendar does not line up with the U20 showpiece. Barring a surprise early exit or a rapid turnaround, Itamura is almost certain to miss at least Liverpool’s first league fixture.

For Japan, though, this is simply the next step for a player already central to their plans.

Itamura was a driving force in her country’s U20 Women’s Asian Cup triumph in April, striking three times across the tournament as Japan marched to the title. They finished the job with a tight 1-0 win over North Korea in the final, a performance that underlined both their resilience and her importance to the side.

Liverpool signed an emerging star. Japan are taking a tournament leader to Poland. The question now is how quickly the Reds can weave her into their WSL story once she returns from the world stage.