HONG KONG: Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday as South Korea were held but still inched closer along with a rampant Australia.
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to give Japan a 2-0 home win over Bahrain and take their place alongside hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico at next year’s finals.
The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until substitute Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute.
In front of nearly 60,000 fans, Kubo added another in the 87th minute as Japan sealed their berth in style.
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 doused coach Hajjime Moriyasu with water.
“This here is not our goal — we want to compete against strong teams at the World Cup.”
Australia are in pole position to qualify out of Group C with Japan.
Two goals in two minutes helped the Socceroos secure a 5-1 thrashing of Indonesia as Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert was well beaten in his first game in charge.
Japan lead on 19 points. Australia are second on 10 points, four clear of the chasing pack of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bahrain and China.
Australia have three games left to play, starting with a crunch away fixture against China on Tuesday.
The top two go straight to North America, with teams finishing third and fourth in the three Asian groups going into a further round of qualifying.
Indonesia missed an early penalty before a Martin Boyle spot-kick and a Nishan Velupillay strike inside a frantic opening 20 minutes did the damage at Sydney Football Stadium.
A brace from Jackson Irvine and another by Lewis Miller sealed a big win, but Australian skipper Mat Ryan was not entirely satisfied.
“I think the scoreline flatters us a little bit to be honest,” the goalkeeper said.
“At the start of the game they had two big chances, and if they put one of them away, it could have been a different game.”
South Korea are still on course for 2026 but conceded a goal with 10 minutes left as Oman snatched a precious 1-1 away draw.
The hosts looked set for all three points after Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan put them ahead in the first half with a clinical finish after Lee Kang-in’s superb threaded through ball.
But Ali Al Busaidi struck from just outside the box to stun most of the crowd at Goyang Stadium.
South Korea still lead Asian qualifying Group B with 15 points and three matches left to play, starting at home to Jordan on Tuesday.
Iraq are second in the group on 11 but have played a game less.
Jordan are third on nine with Oman fourth on seven.
Japan first to seal World Cup spot as South Korea, Australia get closer
https://arab.news/p7rzn
Japan first to seal World Cup spot as South Korea, Australia get closer
- Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to give Japan a 2-0 home win over Bahrain
- South Korea are still on course for 2026 but conceded a goal with 10 minutes left as Oman snatched a precious 1-1 away draw
‘Extra motivation’ — Williams ready to turn Dubai crowd against hometown hero Rahmani
- American fighter enters the Feb. 7 bout hoping to rebound from his August loss to Sergey Bilostenniy at the PFL World Tournament Finals in Hollywood
DUBAI: Karl Williams steps into the PFL cage in Dubai on Feb. 7 knowing exactly what he is up against. His opponent, Pouya Rahmani, carries a perfect 5-0 record and momentum from a brutal first-round finish against Slim Trabelsi in October. But the Virgin Islands heavyweight isn’t fazed by the challenge or the expected hostile crowd at Coca-Cola Arena.
“It doesn’t give me an extra motivation,” Williams said when asked about fighting in Rahmani’s adopted home. “The crowd changes according to the fight so hopefully by the end of the fight they’ll be on my side”.
Williams enters the bout looking to rebound from his August knockout loss to Sergey Bilostenniy at the PFL World Tournament Finals in Hollywood, Florida. That defeat marked the first time Williams had been stopped in his professional career, ending via a perfectly timed left hook in the second round. The fight also featured controversy when Williams was accidentally eye-poked during the sequence.
When asked about the biggest lesson he took from that loss, Williams initially joked: “Don’t get eye poked,” before adding, “but (the) biggest lesson was how to battle adversity of a loss in that manner.”
Williams holds a 10-4 professional record and went 3-1 in the UFC before signing with PFL in 2025. Known for his wrestling background and cage control, he is preparing for Rahmani the same way he approaches every fight. The Iranian-born heavyweight finished Slim Trabelsi with ground strikes at 2:47 of the first round in his most recent outing and has never seen a second round in his professional career.
“He’s not the first fighter that I have faced with similar backgrounds or accolades,” Williams explained. “I prepare like I prepare for all fights to be well-rounded and be able to counter what my opponent brings.”
He added: “He doesn’t have many fights so it’s hard to say what his openings are.”
Behind Williams’ preparation stands coach Dennis Davis, the head MMA coach at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Davis has built a reputation developing fighters from the amateur ranks to championship level, coaching UFC champions Sean Strickland and Francis Ngannou, among others. Williams also credited Barbour Orthopaedics for keeping him healthy and able to perform at his best.
“Coach Danny Davis, he’s the one that dissects my game plan and my opponents and sets me up for success,” Williams said. “And Barbour Orthopaedics for making sure that I’m healthy and able to perform the way I want to.”
When asked what message he wanted to send Rahmani ahead of the fight, Williams kept it simple. “I don’t really wanna send any messages,” he said. “Once the cage locks, all will be said.”
On an optimistic note, Williams envisions his fight night in Dubai ending with “having his hand raised and going out and enjoying the wonderful city and people.”
The heavyweight bout appears on the main card below two world title fights, with Usman Nurmagomedov defending his lightweight championship against Alfie Davis in the headliner.
