Two months later on 22 March 2019, Shibasaki captained Japan for the first time in his career, as they lost 1–0 against Colombia. Two months later, he was called up to the squad ahead of the Copa América in Brazil. Ahead of the tournament, Shibasaki was appointed as captain for Japan and once captained the national side for the second time, in a 0–0 draw against Trinidad and Tobago on 6 June 2019. He started and captained Japan in all three matches, playing in the centre–midfield position, as they were eliminated in the Group Stage. After the national team side were eliminated, Shibasaki said: "It was not a bad experience to bring the team together. I personally wanted to prove my ability at these times, and I think it's one of the ways to be a professional when you can do it. Don't let yourself down mentally and spend those periods consciously. I was able to reconfirm that it would be connected to this kind of situation." Following the tournament, Shibasaki started the remaining matches of 2019, including one when he was a captain against Venezuela on 19 November 2019.