Japan is within touching distance of an eighth successive World Cup appearance after beating China 3-1 in Xiamen put the team 10 points clear in its Asian qualifying group.

Japan's march to the 2026 World Cup continued on Tuesday as Hajime Moriyasu's side handed China a 3-1 defeat in Xiamen to notch up a fifth win in Asia's third round of preliminaries while Saudi Arabia suffered a 2-0 loss against Indonesia.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said Thursday he expects a tough test against an Indonesian team filled with European-born players when the two sides clash in World Cup qualifying in Jakarta.

A ruthless Japan moved to the brink of qualifying for their eighth straight World Cup after beating old rivals China 3-1 away on Tuesday.The convincing victory gave Japan five wins and a draw in Asian qualifying Group C and took them to within touching distance of a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Japan moved to the cusp of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday as a 3-1 win over hosts China coupled with Australia's 2-2 draw in Bahrain took Hajime Moriyasu's side nine points clear in Group C of the third round of Asia's preliminaries.

Saudi Arabia's troubled 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign hit a new setback as they were beaten 2-0 by Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday. Marselino Ferdinan, who plays his football in England with Oxford United,