What's happened
As of November 17, 2024, Japan leads Group C in the Asian World Cup qualifiers, while China seeks to recover from early losses. South Korea and Saudi Arabia also aim for qualification, with key matches approaching. The competition intensifies as teams vie for spots in the 2026 World Cup.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to the South China Morning Post, Japan's coach Hajime Moriyasu acknowledges the challenges of playing away against China, stating, "If you look at the FIFA rankings... the advantage is with Japan, but we are playing both games away and I think it will be tough." Meanwhile, the Scotsman highlights Kyogo Furuhashi's return to the national squad, noting his good form at Celtic and the importance of his inclusion for Japan's upcoming qualifiers. The Scotsman also mentions that Japan could secure automatic qualification with wins in their next matches, emphasizing the stakes involved.
How we got here
The Asian World Cup qualifiers have entered a critical phase, with teams competing for automatic berths to the 2026 finals. Japan currently leads Group C, while China aims to improve after a rocky start. South Korea and Saudi Arabia are also in contention.
More on these topics
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Japan is an island country of East Asia in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It borders the Sea of Japan to the west and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.
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China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019.
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.