Japan became the first non-host country to qualify for the upcoming 2026 World Cup after winning their latest match against Bahrain. Meanwhile, in the same group, Australia also opened their shot at an automatic qualification after demolishing Indonesia 5-1.
Japan Dominance Secure an Early World Cup Qualification
The Blue Samurai continue to showcase their rise and dominance, notably in Asia following another success of qualifying for the World Cup finals in the USA and Mexico next year. Hajime Moriyasu’s men have been such a dominant force in their qualifying group making their qualification just a matter of time.
However, Japan was not keen on waiting much longer to confirm their qualification and put things to rest on Thursday by beating Bahrain 2-0. Playing at home, Moriyasu’s side had to work hard before eventually grabbing all three points.
After a goalless first 45 minutes, Japan got the breakthrough in 66 minutes through Daichi Kamada’s excellent goal. Japan finally secured their victory with a lovely strike from their star, Takefusa Kubo who scored from a tight angle.
Australia Win Big Against Indonesia
In another Group C game, the battle for that runner-up spot behind Japan continues to heat up, but Australia is currently in pole position. Tony Popovic’s men collected 10 points following a massive 5-1 win over Indonesia.
The battle for that second automatic qualification spot remains tight but it looks like Australia is looking to distance itself. Their victory over Indonesia could very well pave their path to eventually securing that second-place position.
Playing at home, Australia had some troubles early on but following Martin Boyle’s spot-kick on 18 minutes, everything fell into place for the home team. The Socceroos added two more goals in the first 45 minutes, through Nishan Velupillay and Jackson Irvine, giving them a 3-0 lead at half-time.
In the second half, Australia still added two more goals from Lewis Miller and Irvine’s second to wrap up all three points. Indonesia only managed to pull one goal back from Ole Romeny’s effort in the 78 minutes.
