Japan is about to confirm '1st World Cup finals'...Moriyasu's challenge to become the head coach of the finals for the first time in a row
Japan is about to confirm '1st World Cup finals'...Moriyasu's challenge to become the head coach of the finals for the first time in a row
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Will the Japanese national soccer team be able to confirm its advance to the World Cup finals the fastest.
Japan will play the seventh match of Group C in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Tokyo on the 20th (Korea Standard Time).
Currently, Japan is leading the league with no loss with five wins and one draw (16 points). It is nine points behind Australia (7 points), which is currently in second place, and 10 points behind Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and China, which are tied for third to sixth with six points.
Japan has an important schedule ahead of the match. If the team wins the match against Bahrain, it will confirm its advance to the World Cup finals regardless of the outcome of the remaining matches. If Japan beats Bahrain, it will have 19 points. Even if second-ranked Australia secures Indonesia, the gap will remain at nine points with three more games to go.
Even if the team wins a draw, it will be able to confirm its advance to the finals. In this case, the results of Australia and Indonesia should be weighed. If Australia loses to Indonesia and Japan ties with Bahrain, Japan has 17 points and Australia has 7 points, which is a 10-point gap.
If Japan confirms its qualification for the World Cup finals, it will be the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals in North Korea, China and the U.S. It will conclude its schedule as soon as possible at this World Cup, which will involve 48 countries.
"I was impressed by Bahrain's strong performance in the previous match," coach Morias Hajime said ahead of the match. "I think we are thoroughly preparing for the match. I think it will be a difficult match. I will not let Bahrain go back easily," he said, displaying determination.
The match is also important to Moriyasu. Moriyasu has been leading the team for seven years since 2018. He seemed to have shown somewhat sluggish performance in the early days of his inauguration, but gradually gained momentum as he began to lay the foundation for the team. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he made a surprise by advancing to the round of 16 best teams in the "Group of Death" that includes Germany, Spain, and Costa Rica, and displayed impressive capabilities by successively capturing strong teams including Germany and Turkiye after the World Cup.
Recently, European players' performance has begun to stand out, and Japan's power has become stronger. It has won six games in the second qualifying round, and continues to win six games in the third qualifying round. Under Moriyasu, he has nine wins and one draw in the last 10 games.
If Moriyasu beats Bahrain to confirm his progress to the World Cup finals, he will be the first coach in Japanese soccer history to lead the team to the World Cup finals. 스포츠토토
Meanwhile, the Japanese national soccer team has formed an elite team to confirm its advance to the World Cup finals at the upcoming A-match in March. The number of players playing overseas is a whopping 21. Only two goalkeepers and two defenders are active in the J-League. Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad).