Japan and South Africa wrap up World Cup qualifying with big home wins
OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Japan and South Korea ended successful 2026 World Cup qualification campaigns on a high with emphatic home victories over Indonesia and Kuwait respectively on Tuesday.
In Osaka, Daichi Kamada scored after 15 minutes to set Japan, preparing for an eighth consecutive World Cup, on its way to a 6-0 victory.
Takefusa Kubo added a second five minutes later and Kamada extended the lead just before the break. Soon after the restart, Ryoya Morishita and Shuto Machino piled on and Mao Hosoya made it six.
In Asia's third round of qualification, the top two from each of the three groups of six progress automatically to the World Cup. Jordan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Japan and South Korea have qualified for the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Only one spot is still available, in Group C. It will go to Australia later Tuesday if the Socceroos avoid defeat by five goals in Saudi Arabia.
South Korea, which has qualified for an 11th straight World Cup, sealed top spot in Group B after beating Kuwait 4-0.
Jeon Jin-woo scored after 33 minutes at Seoul World Cup Stadium and Lee Kang-in added a second soon after the restart. Oh Hyeon-gyu and Lee Jae-sung also got on the scoresheet.
The six teams that finish third and fourth advance to another stage to play off for Asia's two remaining automatic places.
Elsewhere, China defeated Bahrain 1-0 with both teams already eliminated from contention.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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