Japan booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 after earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sweden in their final Group E fixture at Kansas City Stadium on Friday.
After a cagey first half in which both sides struggled to create clear scoring opportunities, Japan broke the deadlock in the 56th minute through Daizen Maeda.
Sweden responded just six minutes later, with Anthony Elanga finding the equalizer to set up a tense finish.
Japan remained disciplined in the closing stages to secure the valuable point they needed to progress to the knockout rounds.
The result sees the Samurai Blue finish second in Group E with five points, behind group winners the Netherlands on seven.
Sweden ended third with four points and must now wait to discover whether they will advance as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams, while Tunisia finished bottom of the group without a point.
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