Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after winning 2-0 against Bahrain at Saitama Stadium on Thursday.
Goals in the second half from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo helped Japan secure one of the top two spots in Asia Group C for automatic qualification.
This will be Japan’s eighth straight World Cup appearance. They will join the tournament co-hosts the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the expanded 48-team event.
Earlier, Australia, currently in second place, moved closer to qualifying for their seventh World Cup by beating Indonesia 5-1 in Sydney. This was Indonesia’s first match under their new coach, Patrick Kluivert.
Indonesia’s Kevin Diks missed a penalty in the eighth minute, and Martin Boyle scored from a penalty 10 minutes later to give Australia the lead.
Nishan Velupillay and Jackson Irvine added goals before halftime, and Lewis Miller made it 4-0 after an hour. Ole Romeny scored one for Indonesia, but Irvine got his second goal to make it 5-1 for Australia.
The top two teams from each of the three six-team groups in the third round of Asian qualifying will advance to the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams will compete in another round for two additional spots.
And off we go 👀
Japan becomes the FIRST country to officially qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 🇯🇵 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ThUbJkDm1c
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 20, 2025