Japan Secures Place in 2026 World Cup with Victory over Bahrain

Japan qualified for the 2026 World Cup after defeating Bahrain 2-0 in Saitama Stadium, courtesy of second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo. The win ensures Japan a top-two finish in Group C of Asia's preliminaries, marking their eighth consecutive World Cup qualification.

In a commanding performance, Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after a convincing 2-0 victory over Bahrain. Second-half goals from substitutes Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo secured the win for Coach Hajime Moriyasu's squad at Saitama Stadium.

Entering from the bench, Crystal Palace's Kamada broke the deadlock in the 66th minute, while Kubo sealed the team's spot in next year's finals shortly before full-time. With this result, Japan firmly leads Group C in Asia's preliminaries, guaranteeing their presence in an eighth consecutive World Cup.

The match saw Japan maintain dominance, particularly through Kubo's impactful play, while ensuring they kept a comfortable lead ahead of rivals Australia, who triumphed over Indonesia in a parallel fixture.

(With inputs from agencies.)