It’s another celebratory moment for Japanese football as Japan has become the first country to qualify for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup following a comfortable 2-0 win over Bahrain 2-0 on Thursday.

Second-half strikes from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo officially sealed an eighth consecutive appearance in football’s premier tournament for the former semifinalist.

The Asian powerhouse advanced to the second round at the previous two editions, including a stunning upset over three times champions Germany to boot the former holders from the tournament.

Thursday’s victory underlines Japan’s dominance as they secured one of two automatic qualifying spots in Group C of the Asian qualifiers with three games to spare. The result made them first non-hosts to confirm their spot in the tournament, joining co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.