Poomropee Named Among Top 36 Players in Japans 104th National High School Football Championship: Whats Next?

"Poomropee" has been named among the top 36 players in the 104th National High School Football Championship in Japan.

On 12 Jan 2026 GMT+7, the technical committee of the All Japan High School Athletic Federation announced the list of 36 outstanding players following the conclusion of the national high school football championship.

Champion team: Kashimura Gakuen High School from Kagoshima Prefecture claimed their first-ever title and had the most players selected, with 8 representatives led by captain Haruto Nagano and top scorer Gen Hidaka.

Runner-up: Kashima Gakuen High School from Ibaraki Prefecture had 7 players named among the top picks.

One of the outstanding players chosen as goalkeeper is Poomropee Siribunyakul, a Grade 11 student at Kashima Gakuen and Thailand's U17 national team goalkeeper, who delivered excellent saves in the final match.

List of outstanding players (by position):

Goalkeepers

• Poomropee Siribunyakul (Kashima Gakuen - Grade 11)
• Kentaro Terada (Kashimura Gakuen - Grade 12)
• Nanari Naka (Tekyo Nagaoka - Grade 11)

Defenders

• Kosei Nakagawa, Sora Saito, Saku Shimizu (Kashima Gakuen)
• Haruto Nagano, Jinto Araki (Kashimura Gakuen)
• Keito Nishimura, Ruma Matsuzawa (Koshi)
• Hikaru Hirose, Simon Y. Mendy, Sora Matsuda (Ryutsu Keisai Kashiwa)
• Raiki Enomoto (Nishidai Fujisawa), Kei Murakami (Otsu), Toshiya Matsuoka (Kokoku)

Midfielders

• Haruto Miura (Kashima Gakuen)
• Eita Horinokuchi, Kazuki Fukushima (Kashimura Gakuen)
• Kanade Ozono (Koshi), Yoshinobu Shimatani, Soma Furukawa (Ryutsu Keisai Kashiwa)
• Kyoji Fukushima (Otsu), Natsuki Mizusawa (Tekyo Nagaoka), Yuito Kosugi (Sewa Gakuen), Riki Osa (Shohei)

Forwards:

• Shintaro Uchiiumi, Hayato Watabe (Kashima Gakuen)
• Yuka Kuranaka, Futa Tokumura, Gen Hidaka (Kashimura Gakuen)
• Sogo Usui, Shota Negi (Koshi), Kotaro Yamashita (Otsu), Sota Mikamo (Horikoshi), Rukia Saito (Higashi Fukuoka)

The next step is "entering the training camp" to select players for the "Japan High School Selection" all-star team.

1. The Selection Camp typically takes place from late January to February.

• From the 36 named players, about 18–20 will be chosen to train and play friendly matches against top university teams or J.League club reserve squads to determine the absolute best.

2. NEXT GENERATION MATCH competition

• Players who pass the selection camp earn the chance to compete in a special game called the "NEXT GENERATION MATCH."
• This match is usually held as a curtain-raiser before the Japanese Super Cup at a national stadium.
• The opponent is the J.League youth all-star team, creating a prestigious showdown between "high school students" and "academy clubs."

3. European tournament (Dusseldorf International Youth Tournament)

• If selected among the final 18 starters, players will travel to Germany in April.
• They will compete in a world-class tournament facing youth teams from clubs like Real Madrid, Benfica, or Bayern Munich.
• Many Japanese players, such as Shinji Okazaki and Matsuki Kuriyu, have passed through this camp and showcased their skills in Europe, eventually signing professional contracts.