China vs Japan

Xiamen Egret Stadium is the venue as resurgent China take on high-flying Japan in an exciting 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

China’s hopes of reaching the World Cup finals for only the second time in the nation’s history have received an unexpected boost as they defied the odds to beat Bahrain 1-0 last weekend. After three consecutive defeats to their Group C campaign, Branko Ivankovic’s men have won back-to-back qualifiers to draw level on points with second-placed Australia. However, the Chinese still have a long way to go to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2002, starting with a potential revenge for a disastrous 7-0 loss in the reverse fixture. It was China’s fourth consecutive scoring blank against Japan across a four-year span (D1, L3), though they can draw heart from conceding under 2.5 goals on three occasions during that sequence.

On the other hand, Japan’s top-place finish in this group looks like a mere formality after a 4-0 thrashing of Indonesia last week fired them seven points clear at Group C’s summit. Except for a 1-1 home draw against Australia in round four, they’ve won their four remaining outings in this section by an aggregate score of 18-0, laying the foundation for an eighth consecutive World Cup qualification. Hajime Moriyasu’s men have impressively won all three third-stage away qualifiers by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ netting an eye-catching 11 goals in total. But with only four of them arriving before halftime, the ‘Samurai Blue’ faithful may need to stay patient in Xiamen.