Perfect Performance, Japan Qualifies First for 2026 World Cup

SAITAMA, THURSDAY – One of the eight Asian representatives in the 2026 World Cup has been revealed. Japan became the first country, aside from the host nations, to secure participation in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This certainty was achieved after the team, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, defeated Bahrain 2-0 at Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Japan, on Thursday (20/3/2025). This victory solidified Japan's unbeaten record in seven matches.

An additional three points against Bahrain have secured Japan's position among the top two countries in Group C. From the seven matches played, the "Samurai Blue" team has achieved six victories and one draw. Japan's collection of 19 points is now impossible to surpass by Australia, which ranks second and, in another match, defeated Indonesia 5-1.

The success in securing the first ticket to the 2026 World Cup in North America extends Japan's impressive record of never missing the tournament since their first participation in the 1998 World Cup in France. This means Japan has successfully advanced to the main stage of the World Cup eight consecutive times.

Securing a ticket to the World Cup as soon as possible has become Moriyasu's priority. He immediately deployed his best team against Bahrain. Utilizing his signature formation, 3-4-2-1, Takefusa Kubo and Takumi Minamino were assigned as attacking midfielders behind the lone striker Ayase Ueda. The trio initially struggled to break through Bahrain's defense at the beginning of the match. Facing Japan on their home turf, Bahrain's players maintained heightened vigilance against the movements of Minamino and Kubo.

Japan's general attacking idea began with overloading the left side of Bahrain's defense. The goal was for Japan to lure Bahrain's players to shift to that side, giving Brighton and Hove Albion's agile winger, Kaoru Mitoma, room to maneuver on the opposite side.

Such an attacking pattern can indeed enable Japan to break through Bahrain's tight defense. Mitoma repeatedly troubled Bahrain's backline, led by Amine Benaddi and Waleed Al Hayam, during the first half.

However, successfully breaking through the defense does not necessarily mean being able to freely threaten the goal. Although Japan managed to record 13 touches in the opponent's penalty box during the first half, not a single shot on target was made.

This could happen because Bahrain has defenders who are very strong in one-on-one duels. Mitoma may get past them, but he is not free to shoot. This is evident from Bahrain's statistics, which show they managed to win 30 duels, while Japan only won 18. Japan's struggle persisted until the end of the first half.

In the second half, Moriyasu made a precise substitution by withdrawing Ritsu Doan and Minamino. In their place, Moriyasu sent Junya Ito and Daichi Kamada. The presence of the two players on the field was able to make a difference.

Kamada and Ito's fluid movements were able to break the focus of Bahrain's defenders. In a transition situation, Kamada cleverly ran to find space and scored in the 66th minute. Japan then doubled their lead thanks to Kubo's goal with two minutes left in normal time.

Kubo's goal showed how fragile the Bahraini right wing was. Without much pressure, they allowed a player as agile as Kubo to penetrate the heart of the defense.

Bahrain coach Dragan Talajic lived up to his promise that he would not let Japan pick up points easily. Japan has been the most productive team in qualifying so far with an average of 3.8 goals per game. The “Samurai Blue” are also the team with the most chances created with 50 golden opportunities, ahead of Australia in second place with 48 golden opportunities created.

"I'm relieved that we were able to qualify at home in front of our fans. This is not our (ultimate) goal. We want to compete against strong teams in the World Cup," Kubo said. (AFP)