Japan Becomes First Nation To Qualify For 2026 FIFA World Cup
Canada, Mexico and the United States have already secured a spot in the event as the hosts.
Japan became the first nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after defeating Bahrain 2-0 on Thursday. The 2026 tournament will mark Japan's eighth successive World Cup. Canada, Mexico and the United States have already secured a spot in the event as the hosts.
Goals in the second half from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo helped to keep Japan in pole position in Group C of Asia's preliminaries. Japan, first qualified in 1998, had entered the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “Thanks to the players for their efforts and the fans for their support,” said Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu.
Meanwhile, next year's 48-team World Cup will see a minimum of eight nations representing the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The third qualifying round features 18 teams in three groups, and the leading two from each group advance to the World Cup. The teams that finish third and fourth in each group enter the fourth round to battle for the remaining spots available for the continent.