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.

The Samurai Blue solidified their top spot in Group C with 13 points from five matches, while Indonesia remains at the bottom

Japan thrashed Indonesia 4-0 in Jakarta on Friday as Hajime Moriyasu's relentless side moved seven points clear at the top of Group C of Asia's 2026 World Cup qualifiers and another step closer to an automatic finals spot.

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.

Since 1954, Indonesia has faced Japan 16 times in international competitions. Indonesia even triumphed once with a crushing 7-0 victory over Japan.

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.

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.

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,

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.