Japan become first nation to qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup 

Japan have become the first nation to qualify for the men’s FIFA World Cup 2026 by beating Bahrain 2-0 on Thursday (20 March).

Goals in the second half from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo helped Japan make an eighth consecutive men's World Cup.

Japan have reached the round of 16 at the last two World Cups, while they first qualified in 1998, four years before hosting the global football event along with the Republic of Korea.

Thursday’s victory guaranteed Japan’s place in one of the two automatic qualifying spots in Group C of the Asian qualifiers.

Japan have done so with three games to spare, making them the first non-hosts to confirm their spot in the tournament, joining co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.

At least eight nations from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will make the 48-team World Cup next year.

Five more countries can join Japan by securing their place in this qualifying phase, the third round, which has been split into three groups all featuring six nations.

Source: Agencies