
Japan vs Bahrain, 2026 World Cup Qualifying - AFC, Third Round
· FIFA World Cup Qualifying - AFCKamada, Kubo strike as Japan become first nation to qualify for World Cup

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS OF JAPAN PLAYING BAHRAIN IN A SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Match Timeline
- 19': Amine Benaddi (Bahrain) Yellow Card at 19'
- 45': Ao Tanaka (Japan) Substitution at 45'
- 61': Mohamed Al-Romaihi (Bahrain) Substitution at 61'
- 63': Junya Ito (Japan) Substitution at 63'
- 63': Daichi Kamada (Japan) Substitution at 63'
- 66': Daichi Kamada (Japan) Goal at 66'
- 76': Keito Nakamura (Japan) Substitution at 76'
- 82': Vincent Ani Emmanuel (Bahrain) Substitution at 82'
- 85': Husain Abdulkarim (Bahrain) Substitution at 85'
- 86': Shuto Machino (Japan) Substitution at 86'
- 87': Takefusa Kubo (Japan) Goal at 87'
- 88': Takefusa Kubo (Japan) Yellow Card at 88'
Statistics
![]() |
JPN![]() |
|
---|---|---|
5 | Fouls | 18 |
1 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
0 | Red Cards | 0 |
0 | Offsides | 0 |
1 | Corner Kicks | 8 |
2 | Saves | 2 |
39.3 | Possession | 60.7 |
7 | SHOTS | 12 |
2 | ON GOAL | 4 |
0.3 | On Target % | 0.3 |
0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
0 | Accurate Passes | 0 |
0 | Passes | 0 |
0.0 | Pass Completion % | 0.0 |
0 | Accurate Crosses | 0 |
0 | Crosses | 0 |
0.0 | Cross % | 0.0 |
0 | Long Balls | 0 |
0 | Accurate Long Balls | 0 |
0.0 | Long Balls % | 0.0 |
2 | Blocked Shots | 4 |
0 | Effective Tackles | 0 |
0 | Tackles | 0 |
0.0 | Tackle % | 0.0 |
0 | Interceptions | 0 |
0 | Effective Clearances | 0 |
0 | Clearances | 0 |
Game Information
Venue: Saitama Stadium 2002
Location: Saitama, Japan
Attendance: 58,137
Line-Ups
Japan (3-4-2-1)
No. | Name |
---|---|
1 | Zion Suzuki (GK) |
4 | Kou Itakura |
21 | Hiroki Ito |
22 | Ayumu Seko |
5 | Hidemasa Morita |
6 | Wataru Endo |
7 | Kaoru Mitoma |
10 | Ritsu Doan |
9 | Ayase Ueda |
8 | Takumi Minamino |
20 | Takefusa Kubo |
Bahrain (4-2-3-1)
No. | Name |
---|---|
22 | Ebrahim Lutfalla (GK) |
3 | Waleed Al-Hayam |
2 | Amine Benaddi ![]() |
23 | Abdulla Al-Khalasi |
5 | Hamed Al-Shamsan |
8 | Mohamed Marhoon |
10 | Komail Al-Aswad |
4 | Sayed Dhiya Saeed |
12 | Mahdi Abduljabbar |
20 | Mahdi Al-Humaidan |
7 | Ali Jaafar Madan |
WCQ - AFC News

Are Ayase Ueda and Japan are poised to take the 2026 World Cup by storm? ESPN tackles that, and Asia's other big talking points from the latest round of qualifiers.

The race for the 2026 World Cup has begun in earnest. Here's how it's looking around the globe.

For only the second time in history, the Socceroos have made the World Cup without the need for a playoff. It mightn't have been pretty, but Tony Popovic and Co. deserve tremendous credit.
VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM PALESTINE V OMAN DRAW IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING MATCH

Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke net for Australia as the Socceroos advance to their sixth consecutive World Cup after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1.