Japan has officially secured its place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first nation to qualify through the Asian qualifiers after a 2-0 victory over Bahrain in Saitama
Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half, sealing Japan’s progression with three games to spare in the third round of the Asian qualifiers.
While Canada, Mexico, and the United States had already qualified as host nations, the Samurai Blue are the first team to earn a spot through the qualification process.
Asia has been allocated eight direct spots in the expanded 48-team World Cup, with an additional berth available through intercontinental playoffs.
The third round of Asian qualifying consists of 18 teams divided into three groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the tournament. Teams finishing third and fourth in their groups move on to the fourth round to compete for the remaining spots.
Japan, led by Hajime Moriyasu, had reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before being eliminated by Croatia on penalties. They dominated the second round of the 2026 qualifiers with six wins from six matches and remain unbeaten in the third round, winning six and drawing once.
Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, and Takumi Minamino, a Premier League winner with Liverpool in 2020, were among the starters as Japan booked their eighth consecutive World Cup appearance.
Australia, sitting second in Japan’s group, defeated Indonesia 5-1 but remains nine points behind the Samurai Blue.
Meanwhile, European qualifiers for the tournament kick off this week, with England and Wales among the teams in action.
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