Japan Aim To Be First World Cup Qualifiers

South Korea can also book their spot and will hope for better form from captain Son

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HONG KONG - Japan can become the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup this week, while Son Heung-min will try to forget his Tottenham Hotspur woes by firing South Korea to the Finals.

Asian nations play two rounds of games, on March 20 and 25, as qualifying for the enlarged 48-team tournament in North America approaches the business end in the region.

The Japanese will seal their spot with three qualifying matches to go if, as expected, they beat Bahrain at home in Saitama on March 20.

Even if they stumble, it looks only a matter of time until they secure a place in the tournament to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as they have another home match against Saudi Arabia next week.

Hajime Moriyasu's side are nine points clear of Australia at the top of Group C, having won five and drawn one of their six games in this phase of qualifying, scoring 22 goals and conceding twice.