The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until Crystal Palace forward Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute.

The Blue Samari defeated Bahrain at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, to book the team’s spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the first country outside of the three host nations, the U.S., Mexico and Canada, to qualify for the event.

The win moved Japan to 6-1-0 in Group C of the third round of AFC qualification. The top two teams in each of the three groups automatically qualify for the World Cup with three games remain in the third qualifying round. Japan has not lost in over a year.

This makes it eight straight World Cup appearances for the team. They have made the Round of 16 four times in their previous seven appearances. The only AFC country with more appearances in the World Cup than Japan is South Korea.

However, next summer will be Japan’s first time playing in a World Cup in North America. Japan didn’t qualify for the 1970 and 1986 World Cups in Mexico or the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.

Liverpool's Wataru Endo featured for his country as Japan became the first team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.