[World Cup Qualification] While China has improved with recent wins against comparable opponents, Japan operates on a different level.

China

Japan

Match Stats

China had a poor start to the qualifiers, losing their first three matches while conceding 12 goals and scoring just two. However, they’ve recently turned things around with back-to-back wins against Indonesia (2-1) and Bahrain (1-0). These victories propelled China to fourth place in the group, giving them a slim edge over Indonesia and Bahrain. The fight for qualification is intense, and every point will matter as China aims to secure a spot in the fourth round.

Japan, on the other hand, has been dominant in this qualification campaign and is poised to be one of the first teams to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup. In five matches, Japan has scored 19 goals while conceding just one. Their only dropped points came in a draw against Australia. Over two qualification rounds, Japan has conceded just one goal while netting 40, with three goals credited from a technical win. At the previous World Cup, Japan reached the Round of 16, where they were eliminated by Croatia in a penalty shootout.