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Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo celebrates as captain of Japan, who became the first nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals on Thursday (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)(Image: Kenta Harada/Getty Images)

Liverpool favourite Wataru Endo now has something to help forget Sunday's Carabao Cup disappointment, and that is Japan becoming the first nation (aside from the tournament hosts) to qualify for next year's World Cup finals.

As captain, the midfielder's side defeated Bahrain 2-0 to wrap up qualification well ahead of schedule.

The 32-year-old unfortunately did not make it onto the pitch as the Reds searched for goals late on against Newcastle United at Wembley but jetting off to Saitama, Endo played the entire 90 minutes on Thursday.



The top two in the group of six automatically make it through, and with an unsurpassable 13-point gap to third-place Saudi Arabia they can somewhat relax for the final five rounds.

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Liverpool recognised this with a congratulatory Instagram post.

It read: "@endowataru's Japan have officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

With their job done it remains to be seen how manager Hajime Moriyasu rotates his side.

Arne Slot will not be wishing for any more midfield issues before his team return to action against Everton on Wednesday, April 2, after Ryan Gravenberch pulled out of the Netherlands squad.

With next year's finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, it will be Japan's eighth consecutive appearance at the tournament.

They have established themselves as perhaps the favourites of the dark horses to play at recent finals, especially at Qatar 2022 when they were part of a final-day group stage melee in which Japan, Germany, Spain and Costa Rica could all still make the knockouts.

They ended up top of that group with the 2014 winners Germany sent packing.

The 2026 iteration is also set to be the biggest-ever World Cup as 48 teams can qualify instead of the past figure of 32.

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Therefore nations that do not regularly make the finals - such as Mohamed Salah's Egypt, Andy Robertson's Scotland, Caoimhin Kelleher's Republic of Ireland or Dominik Szoboszlai's Hungary - will be vying to join their Liverpool teammates who often compete for the biggest international honour.


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