Japan Becomes First Team To Qualify For 2026 World Cup As Australia And South Korea Edge Closer

Japan secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Bahrain, becoming the first team to qualify alongside hosts United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo sealed the win in front of nearly 60,000 fans in Saitama, marking Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup appearance.

“I’m relieved that we could qualify at home in front of our supporters,” said Kubo, while he and his teammates celebrated by dousing coach Hajime Moriyasu with water.

“But this isn’t our goal—we want to compete against strong teams at the World Cup.”

Australia also strengthened their qualification hopes with a dominant 5-1 victory over Indonesia, spoiling Patrick Kluivert’s debut as Indonesia’s coach.

Martin Boyle and Nishan Velupillay struck early, while Jackson Irvine (2) and Lewis Miller completed the rout. However, goalkeeper Mat Ryan admitted the scoreline was flattering.

Japan leads Group C with 19 points, while Australia sits second with 10 points, four ahead of Indonesia, Bahrain, and China.

Meanwhile, South Korea remained on course for World Cup qualification but were held to a 1-1 draw by Oman after a late equalizer from Ali Al Busaidi.

The Koreans still top Group B with 15 points, ahead of Iraq (11), Jordan (9), and Oman (7), with a crucial home match against Jordan up next.