Japan has officially secured its spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first team to qualify alongside host nations the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Samurai Blue clinched their place with a 2-0 victory over Bahrain on Thursday in Saitama, thanks to second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo.
Despite a slow start in front of nearly 60,000 fans, substitute Kamada broke the deadlock in the 66th minute before Kubo sealed the win in the 87th minute. This marks Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup qualification.
“I’m relieved that we could qualify at home in front of our supporters,” said Kubo, as he and his teammates celebrated by dousing head coach Hajime Moriyasu with water. “But this is not our ultimate goal—we want to compete against strong teams at the World Cup.”
Australia and South Korea Move Closer
Elsewhere in Group C, Australia strengthened their qualification hopes with a dominant 5-1 win over Indonesia. The Socceroos, led by goals from Martin Boyle, Nishan Velupillay, Jackson Irvine (twice), and Lewis Miller, are second in the group with 10 points, trailing Japan (19 points).
Meanwhile, South Korea remains on course for qualification despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Oman. Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan put the Koreans ahead in the first half, but Ali Al Busaidi’s late strike stunned the home crowd in Goyang.
South Korea leads Group B with 15 points, followed by Iraq (11 points) and Jordan (9 points). The top two teams from each group will advance directly to the tournament, while the third and fourth-placed teams will face additional qualification rounds.
With three matches remaining, Australia, South Korea, and other Asian teams continue their battle for a place in North America next year.
