Japan made history by becoming the first country to qualify for the 2026 men’s World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Bahrain at Saitama Stadium on Thursday. The Samurai Blue secured their spot in next year’s tournament, which will be hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, with goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo in the second half.
Despite dominating the first half, Japan struggled to break down Bahrain’s defense. However, in the 66th minute, Kamada, who had come off the bench, scored the opening goal. Three minutes before the final whistle, Kubo, who had been a constant threat on the left wing, sealed the win with a goal from a tight angle, ensuring Japan’s qualification.
With 19 points from seven matches, Japan remains unbeaten in their World Cup qualifying campaign, leading Group C by a significant margin—nine points ahead of second-place Australia and 10 ahead of third-place Saudi Arabia. This marks Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup appearance.
In the same group, Australia strengthened its qualification hopes with a dominant 5-1 win over Indonesia in Sydney. Under new manager Patrick Kluivert, the Socceroos capitalized on an early missed penalty by Indonesia’s Kevin Diks and went on to score through Martin Boyle, Nishan Velupillay, Jackson Irvine, and Lewis Miller, with Irvine adding another goal in the final minutes.
The top two teams from each group in the Asian qualifiers automatically earn a World Cup spot, while the third and fourth-place teams will have to play additional qualifying matches for a chance to qualify.