For the first time in the 2026 World Cup, the number of teams participating in the tournament will be expanded to 48 teams, and the number of qualified places in Asia will be increased to 8.5 accordingly. In addition to Japan, Iran, and Korea the names of these three super teams in Asian football, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Qatar, U.A.E., and Iraq are Uzbekistan favorites to advance, while the Chinese men's football team is facing greater competition. In Asian football, Japan is currently ranked 16th in the world and is a unique one.
In the 2026 World Qualifiers, Japan has a winning record in the Round of 36, and is the only team in this World Qualifier to still maintain a winning record, and Japan scored 24 goals without conceding 1 goal in the Round of 36 and scored 14 goals and conceded 0 goals in the Round of 18. So far, the Japan team has won 9 consecutive victories in this World Preliminary Tournament, and has scored 38 goals without conceding a goal, which shows how strong Japan is, and almost no team in Asia can compete with Japan.
Japan's football professionalization reform began almost at the same time as Chinese football, and now Japan football has jumped to the world's strongest team, reaching the finals of 7 consecutive World Cups, and the 2022 World Cup has shocked the world by defeating Spain and Germany, two old World Cup champions. Today, Japan has more than 500 players playing in the European league, most of which are members of the Japan national team from the five major European leagues, and many of them are the main players of the team.
Japan is worth 278 million euros, making it the most expensive team in Asia. In the round of 18, Japan is in the same group as Saudi Arabia, Australia, China men's football, Bahrain and Indonesia. In the first three rounds, Japan swept the Chinese men's football team 7-0, bloodied Bahrain 5-0, and beat Saudi Arabia 2-0, winning all three games and accumulating 9 points in Group C. In second place is Australia, with a full 5-point gap to Japan, so Japan have no opponents in Group C and basically lock in a direct qualification spot.
On October 15, Beijing time, in the fourth round of the round of 18, Japan will host Australia. In the last World Preliminary Tournament, Japan defeated Australia home and away. In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, Japan has won 5 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss, occupying an overwhelming advantage. The last three consecutive wins against Australia, and at home, the Japan team has also won four consecutive games against Australia, so it can be said that the current Japan team is hanging Australia.
A win over Australia in this round will extend Japan's lead to eight points, and Japan will basically secure a direct qualification spot before the halfway point of the season. For the Chinese men's football team, it is a good thing that the Japan team is so strong that it has no opponents, because all the teams in Group C face Japan as a result, so the national football team does not actually have to carry too much psychological burden for the 0-7 misery. The opponent of the national football team in this round is Indonesia, and the national football team is playing at home, which is a great opportunity to grab points.
In the first three rounds of the round of 18, the Chinese men's football team lost to Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia in a row, such a result was expected by fans, because in the last World Preliminary Tournament, the Chinese men's football team only won 2 draws and 4 losses against Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia. In Group C, the main opponents of the national football team are Bahrain and Indonesia, as long as the Chinese men's football team can maintain a winning record against Indonesia and Bahrain, then it will definitely be able to finish fourth in the group and enter the fourth stage of the play-offs.