Japan have qualified for an eighth straight World Cup (their only appearances at the finals) but will be looking to progress past the Round of 16 for the first time – they were the first team to qualify for 2026.

Ninth-ranked Canada fell to its fourth straight defeat Saturday, blanked 3-0 by Japan in a women's soccer friendly in Nagasaki.

A Korea Football Association official said that the country's soccer chiefs are considering various options and co-hosting with Japan is 'one possible strategy.'

Soccer clubs from Japan and China faced off in a match held in the Chinese province of Sichuan on Tuesday. Police tightened security in light of an ongoing political row between the two countries. No trouble was reported.

The Canadian women played better but the result was the same in their rematch with hometown Japan on Tuesday, extending their losing streak to five games with a 1-0 defeat.

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TOKYO (Reuters) -Hosts Japan moved within touching distance of qualifying for the men's soccer knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Mexico at Saitama Stadium on Sunday, while France staged a remarkable comeback to beat South Africa 4-3. Real Madrid's highly ...

Momoko Tanikawa, Mina Tanaka and Aoba Fujino scored for eighth-ranked Japan, which controlled play at the 20,000-capacity Peace Stadium. Canada was outplayed for much of the game and it was one-way traffic for long stretches.