In the third stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region, Japan will be grouped with China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia in Group C. The top two teams will qualify directly for the World Cup finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams will enter the play-offs. Japanese media has analyzed the schedule.
Japanese football expert Yoshiyuki Kawachi pointed out that Saudi Arabia is a “slightly scary” opponent for Japan. “They have a stronger ability to control the ball than the Japanese team, and their possession rate may reach around 60%. This would make the match as intense as the World Cup finals. In other words, Japan may be forced to spend more time defending. They are strong at home, so we need to be careful.”
Japanese media believes that a draw against Saudi Arabia in the third round away match would be a good result. Japan’s third round match against Saudi Arabia (away) and fourth round match against Australia (home) are the same as the previous World Cup qualifiers.
In the previous World Cup, Japan lost their opening match to Oman, but won their second match against China. However, they lost to Saudi Arabia in the third round, facing a difficult situation. To avoid repeating the same mistakes, Yoshiyuki Kawachi said, “I hope we can win the first and second rounds, and get a win or at least a draw in the third match.”
“Moreover, Japan hopes to showcase their strength in the fourth round against Australia. If we want to strive for the top of the world, we must win this match.”
In the last World Cup, Japan lost both their first and third matches, leading to “enormous pressure.” “The matches were painful to watch, and we in the media were eager to see Japan score early and finish the game, instead of cheering them on enthusiastically. The players probably felt the same way during the matches. It was really tough when we lost to Saudi Arabia.”
Japanese experts believe that considering the ninth round of these qualifiers is an away match against Australia, Japan must secure a top-two position before the eighth round against Saudi Arabia. If they can secure qualification before the eighth round, the remaining two matches can be used for preparations for the World Cup finals and other activities.
Therefore, the first match against China is crucial. If Japan fails to secure all three points in this match, they might find themselves in a “painful” situation similar to the previous World Cup.
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