Japan First Team To Qualify For 2026 Fifa World Cup

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo gave them a 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday. The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until Crystal Palace forward Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute.
Kubo added another in the 87th minute as Japan punched their ticket to next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It will be Japan's eighth straight World Cup appearance and they now join the three host nations, who have automatically qualified through staging the 23rd edition of the quadrennial international men's tournament.