Japan is the first country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
Japan is the first country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
Japan was the first country to qualify for the 2026 world championship on Thursday after defeating 2-0 in the Saitama Stadium Bahrain.
important goals for victory
With two goals in the second half of Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo, the national team of Samurai Blue secured their place in the tournament, which is held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Japan as the first legitimate nation
Japan is the first non-host nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the three host countries already have a guaranteed place in the 48-member tournament.
trainer reacts to the success
"Thanks to the players for their efforts and fans for their support," said Japan's coach Hajime Moriyasu afterwards, according to Associated press . "We knew that the goals would come when we hold out. We will try to win our three remaining games and grow as a team."
dominance in the first half
Although Japan dominated the first half in the Saitama Stadium, the team did not succeed in achieving the breakthrough against a determined team from Bahrain. In the 66th minute, Kamada, who had previously been substituted, managed to score the first goal. Just three minutes before the end of the regular playing time, Kubo scored another goal from an acute angle that secured victory.
undefeated qualification campaign
The victory maintains Japan's unbeaten qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup, with 19 points from seven games, nine points in front of the second-placed Australia and ten points ahead of Saudi Arabia, which takes third place.
reach the World Cup 2026
Japan leads Group C of Asian qualifications with a comfortable lead and has therefore qualified for the World Cup for the eighth time. In the Asian qualification format, the two best teams from each group automatically reach the World Cup, while the third and fourth place places have to play in another round to award two more places.
Australia on the way to the WM
In another encounter within Japan's group, Australia took a big step towards qualification for the men's World Cup 2026 with an impressive 5-1 victory over Indonesia in Sydney on Thursday. This was the first game of socceroos under the new coach Patrick Kluivert.
turning point in the game
Australia got a second chance when Indonesia's Kevin Diks awarded a penalty in the eighth minute before Martin Boyle converted a penalty for Australia ten minutes later and secured the lead to the home team. Goals from Nishan Velupillay, Jackson Irvine and Lewis Miller provided a 4-0 lead up to the hour, and although Ole Romeny scored a goal for Indonesia, Irvine's second goal sealed the victory for Australia