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The Japanese national team changed training sites to Monterrey ahead of the World Cup after players encountered uneven terrain marred by dirt patches at their original training ground.
The Japanese delegation announced that they had left the facilities of Liga MX club UANL Tigres, where Wednesday’s training was taking place, to El Barrial, the training ground of Rayados de Monterrey, the Tigres’ biggest rivals.
The delegation did not specify why it had moved. Training is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Japan held its first training session at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 3, 2026, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Julio Cesar AGUILAR/AFP via Getty Images)
The incident at the venue went viral on Mexican social media, sparking strong criticism of the UANL Tigers.
Japan begins its World Cup campaign against the Netherlands in Arlington, Texas, on June 14, then faces Tunisia in Monterrey on June 20 before returning to Texas to face Sweden on June 25.
Samurai Blue’s official World Cup training camp will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, where they will arrive on June 8.
