Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo gave them a 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday (March 20).
The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until Crystal Palace forward Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute.
Kubo added another in the 87th minute as Japan punched their ticket to next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It will be their eighth straight World Cup appearance.
"I'm relieved that we could qualify at home in front of our supporters," said Kubo, before he and his team-mates addressed fans at Saitama Stadium and doused coach Hajime Moriyasu with water.
"This here is not our goal -- we want to compete against strong teams at the World Cup."
Australia's 5-1 home win over Indonesia earlier in the evening meant Japan would have clinched their place even with a draw.
But Kamada made sure they did it in style in front of an expectant crowd of just under 60,000.
He latched onto Kubo's reverse pass and dispatched the ball past Bahrain goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla just three minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Real Sociedad's Kubo added some gloss to the night with a left-footed shot from a tight angle.
Japan's players sprinted onto the pitch at the final whistle and celebrated with the home supporters.
"We didn't think it would go as smoothly as this but the players have put in a lot of effort," said Kamada.
"We know this isn't normal and we had a lot of trouble qualifying last time. We're relieved and happy."
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
