Japan secured their spot as the inaugural qualifier for the 2026 World Cup following a decisive 2-0 victory over Bahrain at Saitama Stadium on Thursday.
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored second-half goals, ensuring Japan secured one of the top-two automatic qualification spots in Asia Group C.
In its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, Japan will join the co-hosting nations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the newly expanded 48-team competition.
We appreciate the players' hard work and the fans' encouragement," commented Japan's coach Hajime Moriyasu. "We were confident that persistence would lead us to score more goals. Our aim now is to secure victories in all of our next three matches and develop as a cohesive unit.
Previously, Australia, which holds the second position, moved closer to their seventh appearance by beating Indonesia 5-1 in Sydney during the visitors' initial match under new coach Patrick Kluivert.
Kevin Diks of Indonesia failed to convert a penalty in the eighth minute, and ten minutes later Martin Boyle scored from the penalty spot to put Australia ahead.
Nishan Velupillay and Jackson Irvine found the net before halftime, with Lewis Miller extending their lead to 4-0 at the hour mark. Ole Romeny managed to score for Indonesia, but Jackson Irvine added another two goals, making it 5-1 for the home team.
From each of the three groups with six teams in the third round of Asian qualification, the top two teams secure their spots at the World Cup. The third and fourth place finishers move forward to an additional playoff phase aiming for the remaining two berths.
Despite drawing 1-1 with Oman in Goyang, just north of Seoul, South Korea remained at the top of Group B and continued on track for their 11th consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance.
Hwang Hee-chan gave South Korea the lead shortly before halftime, but Oman secured a draw with Ali Al-Busaidi's equalizer in the 80th minute.
Many believe this qualifying stage will be straightforward, but we must put in immense effort for each game," stated South Korea’s captain Son Heung-min. "Such matches offer valuable lessons. It’s crucial that we extract all possible positives from this experience.
South Korea holds 15 points, which puts them three ahead of both Jordan and Iraq. Meanwhile, Iraq managed only a 2-2 tie against Kuwait, whereas Jordan secured a victory with a score of 3-1 over the Palestinian national team.
In Group A, Iran secured 19 points following their 2-0 victory against the United Arab Emirates in Tehran, maintaining a lead of three points ahead of Uzbekistan, who defeated Kyrgyzstan with a score of 1-0. Both the UAE and Qatar, having won against North Korea with a decisive 5-1 score, hold onto 10 points each.
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