Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, defeating Bahrain 2-0 at Saitama Stadium on Thursday. Second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo secured Japan’s spot in the top two automatic qualification places of Asia’s Group C.
This marks Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, as they join co-hosts the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Meanwhile, Australia moved closer to securing a seventh World Cup appearance with a dominant 5-1 victory over Indonesia in Sydney. The match marked Indonesia’s first under new coach Patrick Kluivert. Indonesia’s Kevin Diks missed an early penalty, and 10 minutes later, Martin Boyle converted a spot kick to put Australia ahead. Goals from Nishan Velupillay, Jackson Irvine, and Lewis Miller extended the lead before Ole Romeny pulled one back for Indonesia. Irvine added his second goal, making it 5-1 for the Socceroos.
In the third round of Asian qualifying, the top two teams from each of the three six-team groups automatically advance to the World Cup, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will enter a final stage to compete for two additional spots.
