Japan entered its match against Bahrain on Thursday night, March 20 with a chance to become the first national team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And that's exactly what happened at Saitama Stadium: Japan 2, Bahrain 0.
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored second-half goals for the Samurai Blue and manager Hajime Moriyasu's squad maintained its unbeaten record in the third round of Asian qualifying. Japan now has six wins and one draw against Group C foes, and it holds an insurmountable nine-point lead in the standings. (Second-place Australia trails by nine points.)
Starting in 1998, the Samurai Blue have qualified for eight consecutive World Cups.
In the previous Japan-Bahrain match in September 2024, the Samurai Blue routed the hosts 5-0 in Riffa, Bahrain.
This time, Bahrain delivered a stronger performance and provided a greater challenge for Japan.
Japan captain Wataru Endo assessed his team's play after the final whistle.
"First of all, I am happy that we were selected to participate in the World Cup," the Liverpool standout told reporters. "Today's match was not easy, but we were able to persevere and score goals in the end to win it."
How did Moriyasu evaluate Japan's performance?
"It was a difficult game, but we knew that if we could tough it out then things would start to turn for us," Moriyasu was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse. "We made some adjustments in the second half and the players continued to work hard."
Substitutes Provide Energy for Japan in 2nd Half
Those adjustments included a spark off the bench when Moriyasu brought in Kamada for Takumi Minamino in the 63rd minute and Junya Ito for Ritsu Doan.
Kamada, who plies his craft for the English Premier League's Crystal Palace, latched onto a well-placed pass from Kubo and booted the ball past Bahrain goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla in the 66th minute.
After the match, Kamada credited Kubo for creating a good scoring chance for him.
"The timing of the pass was great and all I needed to do was put it away," Kamada said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Following Kamada's goal, the Saitama Stadium crowd erupted in boisterous cheers and the hosts' energy level seemed to increase a little bit at the same time.
But throughout the match Japan stayed aggressive on offense and played determined defense. This helped give the hosts a strong edge in possession (60.7% of the match).
Japan also held an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
And in the 87th minute, Real Sociedad winger Kubo blasted a shot past Lutfalla from a tight angle on the left side. That made it 2-0.
The goalkeeper was waiting for the cross, so I thought I could get a shot on goal," Kubo said, according to NHK. "I was glad it went in."
Disappointment and Excitement for Mitoma
After the match, Japan's Kaoru Mitoma admitted he had mixed emotions about the victory.
"I missed shots in attack and wanted to score," the veteran midfielder for Premier League side Brighton told NHK. "But the team's victory is the most important thing, so I am happy to have won."
Next for Japan in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
Manager Moriyasu's team faces Saudi Arabia in a Group C qualifier on Tuesday, March 25 at the same stadium.
Qualifying wraps up in June, and Japan has a pair of matches to play that month ― against Australia in Perth and versus Indonesia in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.
"We are satisfied with this result [on Thursday]," Endo said, according to NHK. "But we have a long way to go. We still have other matches to play so we will do our best."
2026 FIFA World Cup Notes
The 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11-July 19) will be held in North America, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting the expanding global extravaganza. A total of 48 nations will compete, an increase from 32 in 2022.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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