Japan Clinches 2026 Soccer World Cup Berth

Tokyo, March 20 (Jiji Press)--Japan clinched a berth in the finals of the 2026 Soccer World Cup on Thursday, reaching the tournament for the eighth straight time.

The country secured the place at the 48-team finals to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico after defeating Bahrain 2-0 in the final round of Asian qualifiers.

Japan became the first non-host country to qualify for the finals.

At the previous World Cup finals, in Qatar in 2022, Japan was eliminated in the round of 16.

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