Japanese Media Simulate World Cup Qualifiers: China Must Win the Opening Match to Secure Advancement after Several Rounds

The third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup sees Japan grouped in Group C with China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia. The top two teams from the group will directly qualify for the World Cup finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams will play in a playoff. Japanese media have analyzed the schedule.

Football expert Yoshiyuki Kawauchi pointed out that for Japan, Saudi Arabia is a “somewhat frightening” opponent. “They have better ball control capabilities than the Japanese team, possibly reaching around 60% possession. As a result, the match may be as intense as a World Cup final. This means that the Japanese team may be forced to spend more time defending. They are strong at home, so we need to watch out.”

The Japanese media believes that even a draw in the away match against Saudi Arabia in the third round would be a good result. Japan’s third-round match is against Saudi Arabia (away) and the fourth-round match is against Australia (home), the same as in the previous World Cup qualifiers.

In the last World Cup, after losing to Oman in the first game, Japan won the second match against China but lost to Saudi Arabia in the third round, falling into difficulty. To avoid repeating past mistakes, Kawauchi said, “I hope we can win the first and second rounds, strive for victory in the third match, and at least secure one point.”

“Furthermore, the Japanese team hopes to demonstrate its strength in the fourth-round match against Australia. If they want to reach the pinnacle of world football, they must win this game.”

In the last World Cup, Japan lost both the first and third matches, resulting in “great pressure.” “The games were painful, and we in the media also wanted to see Japan score early and finish the game sooner rather than cheer loudly. The players probably played with similar feelings. Losing to Saudi Arabia was really tough.”

Japanese experts believe that given that the ninth round of these qualifiers is an away match against Australia, Japan must aim to secure one of the top two spots before the eighth-round match against Saudi Arabia. If Japan can lock in their qualification before the eighth round, the remaining two matches could be used for preparations for the World Cup finals and other activities.

Therefore, the most crucial match is the first one against China. If Japan cannot secure three points in this match, it is likely to face the same “painful” situation as in the previous World Cup.