Japan becomes first to qualify for 2026 World Cup
Japan became the first team to earn a spot in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the World Cup next year after defeating Bahrain 2-0 on Thursday.
Daichi Kamada opened the scoring in the 66th minute in Saitama, and Takefusa Kuba wrapped up matters in the 87th minute.
The sixth victory from seven matches means that Japan is assured of a top-two finish in their group in the third Asian qualifying round and qualified for the expanded 48-team tournament.
Asia will have eight teams in the tournament for which the three host nations are directly entered.
Japan qualified for the World Cup for the eighth time since its debut in 1998. Their best result is a last-16 berth on four occasions.
The Japanese women have been more successful, winning the World Cup in 2011 and reaching the final in 2015.
(dpa/NAN)
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