There is still over a year to go before the 2026 World Cup begins, and beyond the three host countries (United States, Mexico, and Canada), we already have the first team qualified… out of the 42 that will participate in the event. It’s Japan, which won against Bahrain (2-0) thanks to two goals in the second half by Daichi Kamada and Take Kubo.

No One Can Beat Japan in Asia

The qualification campaign that Japan has completed for the 2026 World Cup, placed in a group alongside teams like Australia and Saudi Arabia, which also participated in the tournament that took place in Qatar in 2022, is almost unbeatable. In fact, they secured qualification with three matches to spare, with a record of six wins and one draw.

The dominance has been so overwhelming that, in just seven matches, Japan has scored 24 goals, highlighted by heavy victories against China (7-0), Bahrain (0-5), and Indonesia (0-4). However, it’s in defense where the team, coached by Hajime Moriyasu, has left no chance for their opponents, as they’ve conceded only two goals and kept their clean sheet in five matches.

Japan is Now a Regular at the World Cup

Japan’s football growth in the last 30 years has been exponential. In fact, the last time they didn’t qualify for the World Cup was in the 1994 edition held in the United States. Since then, they debuted in the 1998 tournament and haven’t missed any of the seven editions that have been played since.

Their competitive ceiling has always been the Round of 16, where they’ve been eliminated four times in their history. However, it seems that they are getting closer to breaking through that barrier. In fact, the starting eleven they presented today against Bahrain consisted of 10 players who play for European clubs… despite the injury to Tomiyasu.