apan has officially punched its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first nation to qualify for the tournament after a commanding 2-0 win over Bahrain in the Asian qualifiers.
In a match held at the Saitama Stadium, second-half goals from Daichi Kamada of Crystal Palace and Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad sealed the win. The result secures Japan’s place in the World Cup with three games still remaining in the third round of the AFC qualification campaign.
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While co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup, Japan’s qualification via the competitive route underscores their dominance in Asian football. The team, managed by Hajime Moriyasu, continues to build on its strong performance from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they reached the Round of 16 and were narrowly eliminated by Croatia on penalties.
Japan’s road to qualification has been nearly flawless. They won all six matches in the second round and have remained unbeaten in the third round, with six wins and one draw to date.
In the same qualifying group, Australia sits in second place after a 5-1 win over Bahrain but trails Japan by nine points—making it nearly impossible to close the gap in the remaining fixtures.
As Japan celebrates their early qualification, attention now turns to Europe, where the UEFA qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup is set to begin. Nations like England, Wales, and others will soon battle for their places in the highly anticipated global tournament.
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