Japan Dominates China 7-0 in 2026 World Cup Qualifier

Japan’s national football team secured a resounding 7-0 victory over China in the first round of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, held in Saitama on Thursday.

After a period of absence due to injury, Brighton’s English winger Kaoru Mitoma made a triumphant return, scoring the second goal in stoppage time of the first half, assisted by Rizzo Doan.

Liverpool player Wataru Endo gave the hosts the lead with an unmarked header from a corner kick past goalkeeper Wang Dali in the 12th minute.

Takumi Minamino, Monaco’s French winger, scored two goals in the second half, manipulating the defense in the 52nd and 58th minutes, effectively eliminating China’s hopes.

Junia Ito, the French player from Reims, added the fifth goal in the 77th minute, marking his return to the team since the Asian Cup.

The pair, Scottish Celtic player Daizen Maeda and Real Sociedad’s Spanish winger Takefusa Kubo, completed the scoring with goals in the 87th and 90+5 minutes, respectively.

Japan has been a regular at the World Cup since 1998, with its best results being reaching the round of 16 on home soil in the 2002, 2010, 2018, and 2022 editions.

Japan currently tops Group Three on goal difference against Bahrain, who secured a historic 1-0 win over Australia. The final match of the round in Group Three between Saudi Arabia and hosts Indonesia will be played later in Jeddah.

The 18 teams that qualified from the second round were divided into three groups, with the champions and runners-up qualifying after ten rounds until June 2025. A further two spots are available in the fourth round for the six third- and fourth-placed teams, with the potential to reach the nine finalists via global playoffs.