By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Japan beat Bahrain 2-0 on Thursday to become the first country to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Prompt News reports.
The Samurai Blue have now extended their run of successive appearances at the global soccer fiesta to eight.
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to ensure Japan secured a spot in Asia Group C’s top two automatic qualification places.
Hajime Moriyasu’s side occupy top spot in Group C with an impressive 16 points.
The 2026 tournament will be staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
It will be the first to have a field of 48 teams, up from 32 in 2022.
