Blue Lock Volume 40 Arrives in Japan With the U-20 World Cup Clash

Kodansha released Blue Lock Volume 40 in Japan on Monday, August 17, 2026. The new collected volume reaches the decisive stretch of the series’ U-20 World Cup match between Japan and France, giving international fans a useful checkpoint: the Japanese edition is now available, while an English Volume 40 date has not yet been confirmed on Kodansha’s English-language series page.

What Was Announced

Kodansha’s official product page lists Blue Lock Volume 40 as a book by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, with a Japanese release date of August 17, 2026. The listed Japanese retail price is 594 yen, including tax, and the volume contains 176 pages. Kodansha also provides the book’s ISBN and links to Japanese online retailers from the product page.

The publisher’s synopsis places the volume in the second match of the U-20 World Cup arc: Japan is facing France and trails 3–2 as the game reaches its final phase. It describes Isagi winning a contest over “luck” and moving toward a scoring opportunity, only for Rin to stand in his way while pursuing a goal of his own. That is the official setup for the collected volume; it does not by itself announce a new anime episode, a new film project, or a change to the manga’s serialization schedule.

The official Weekly Shonen Magazine comics page separately lists Volume 40 among the titles released on August 17. Its listing also links readers to a preview, making it possible to distinguish the new Japanese book release from the ongoing digital and magazine distribution of individual chapters.

Why It Matters

Volume 40 is a clear milestone for a manga that has expanded from a high-concept football survival contest into a long-form international match built around competing ideas of ego, teamwork, and finishing ability. The significance of this release is specific: it collects the material around a match that the official synopsis presents as reaching a decisive late stage, rather than merely adding another routine volume to the catalogue.

It also matters because collected-volume releases are one of the points where a Japanese publication schedule becomes visible to readers abroad. A volume can package several chapters into a single, physical reference point, but its availability does not mean that every licensed territory is receiving the same material at the same time. That distinction is especially important for Blue Lock, whose anime audience and manga readership often follow different release calendars.

For readers who are current with the Japanese edition, the volume’s official synopsis signals a high-stakes continuation of the Japan–France match without requiring an unofficial summary or scan. For readers who are following a licensed English edition, the release is a reminder to check the local publisher’s catalogue rather than assuming that the Japanese volume number maps directly to an English release date.

Context for International Fans

The official Kodansha US series page describes Blue Lock as an ongoing print-and-digital manga and identifies the series as having an anime adaptation. At the time of this report, that page lists 38 English volumes as available. It does not list an English Volume 40 release date, so an English publication date for this volume remains not yet confirmed in the official source checked here.

That gap is normal for a Japanese-to-English release pipeline. The Japanese product page gives a concrete August 17 date, a yen price, and Japanese retailer links; overseas readers may instead need to wait for a regional publisher’s announcement, use the licensed digital catalogue available in their country, or buy a local print edition when it is solicited. Store listings, fan translations, and unofficial scans can appear on different schedules and are not evidence of an authorized English release.

The date also needs a small time-zone clarification. August 17 is the Japanese release date, based on Japan Standard Time and the publisher’s domestic schedule. For readers in North America or Europe, the book may appear in local online catalogues on a different calendar date, and stock or digital access may vary by territory. Kodansha’s English-language page is therefore the most useful place to watch for a licensed English-volume announcement, while local bookstores can confirm physical availability after that announcement.

What Happens Next

The next concrete check is whether Kodansha US adds Volume 40 to its English series catalogue and publishes a release date for print or digital editions. Readers should also watch the official Weekly Shonen Magazine and Kodansha pages for the next collected-volume listing, preview availability, and any changes to the Japanese schedule.

For anime-only fans, this volume should be treated as manga news rather than as confirmation of an adaptation milestone. The sources checked for this report do not announce a new episode date, trailer, or production update tied specifically to Volume 40. Any connection between the book’s contents and a future anime release could become relevant later, but it is not yet confirmed by the release notices cited here.

Sources

• Kodansha’s official Volume 40 product page — confirms the Japanese release date, authors, price, page count, ISBN, synopsis, and official cover image.
• Official Weekly Shonen Magazine comics release list — lists Blue Lock Volume 40 under the August 17, 2026 releases and provides the official preview link.
• Kodansha US’s official English series page — provides the English print-and-digital catalogue checked for international availability.

Information was checked on August 17, 2026, at 12:05 JST.

Editorial note: This report is based on the primary sources linked above. Availability, schedules, and announcements can change; verify the latest details with the official source.