Japan has become the first country outside the hosts to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, following their 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday.
The Asian country has now extended their run of successive appearances at the finals to eight.
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to ensure the Samurai Blue secured a spot in Asia Group C’s top two automatic qualification places.
The Japanese side led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu has produced several impressive performances during the qualifying series, including a recent 3-1 victory over China.
They now sit top of Group C with an impressive 16 points.
At their eighth successive World Cup, Japan join co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico in the expanded 48-team tournament.
