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.

XIAMEN -- China conceded three headers and lost to Japan 3-1 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier here on Tuesday. In the first leg clash between the two teams in September, the Japanese team thrashed China 7-0. The Chinese side started the match with high-quality defending, until the 39th minute, when Koki Ogawa headed home in a corner cross.

A spectator ran onto the field and briefly disrupted the China-Japan soccer World Cup qualifier in China's eastern city Xiamen on Tuesday.

Japan has defeated Indonesia 4-0 to move seven points clear in Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying for 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.