[2026 World Cup] Japan Sets New Record for Most Goals by an Asian Nation in World Cup Finals with 4-0 Rout of Tunisia

Most Goals and Largest Margin of Victory for an Asian Nation
Netherlands Also Crushes Sweden... Japan Ranks Second in Group F

Japan set a new record for the most goals scored by an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nation in a single match at the 2026 North and Central American World Cup finals.

The Japan national football team, led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, defeated Tunisia 4-0 in the second Group F match of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, held at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on the 21st (Korean time), thanks to Ayase Ueda’s two goals and one assist. Japan achieved this dominant victory against Tunisia, who had just replaced their coach after a 1-5 defeat by Sweden in the first match and were in a state of disarray.

Japan took the lead just four minutes into the first half. Keito Nakamura broke through the left side of the penalty area and delivered a cutback, which deflected off Daichi Kamada’s back heel and rolled straight into the net.

In the 31st minute of the first half, Ueda scored an additional goal. He dribbled the ball into the penalty area and scored with a right-footed shot from mid-range, making it 2-0.

Ueda assisted Junya Ito’s goal in the 24th minute of the second half. Ueda received a pass from Takehiro Tomiyasu and, with a skillful one-touch lob, broke through the Tunisian defense. Junya Ito collected the ball and scored the third goal. Ueda added another goal in the 38th minute of the second half, sealing Japan’s 4-0 victory.

Japan national football team player Ayase Ueda (left) celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal in the second match of Group F against Tunisia at the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup group stage held on the 21st (Korean time) at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Japan made history by scoring four goals, surpassing the previous record of three goals by an AFC nation in a single World Cup finals match.

After the match, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) stated, "Until now, in the 151 matches played by AFC nations at the World Cup finals, no team had ever scored four goals in a single match. Japan became the first."

Japan also set a new record for the largest winning margin by an Asian nation in a World Cup finals match. The previous record stood at a two-goal margin. South Korea also achieved two-goal victories in the 2002 match against Poland (2-0), the 2010 match against Greece (2-0), and the 2018 match against Germany (2-0).

This match against Tunisia was also the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history, and Japan broke several of its own national records as well.

Ueda became the first Japanese player to score multiple goals in a single World Cup finals match. Kamada set a new record for the fastest goal scored by a Japanese player at the World Cup, netting the opener just 3 minutes and 27 seconds after kickoff.

Additionally, by scoring in this match following the 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in the first match, Kamada became only the second Japanese player to score in two consecutive World Cup matches. The first to achieve this was Junichi Inamoto at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

Coach Moriyasu, who led the Japan national team at two consecutive World Cups, also secured his place in Japanese football history. After defeating both Germany and Spain in the group stage at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, he achieved his third World Cup finals victory as Japan’s head coach, setting the record for the most World Cup wins by a Japanese manager.

With this win, Japan has now matched South Korea’s record for the most World Cup victories by an Asian nation. South Korea, appearing in its 12th World Cup finals, has recorded 8 wins, 10 draws, and 22 losses in 40 matches up to the second match against Mexico in this tournament. Japan, now in its 8th World Cup finals, has reached 8 wins, 7 draws, and 12 losses in 27 matches, bringing them level with South Korea.

With 1 win and 1 draw (4 points), Japan sits in second place in Group F, behind the Netherlands.

The Netherlands earned a dominant 5-1 victory over Sweden in their second match, held at Houston Stadium in Texas, USA, thanks to two goals each from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.

Both the Netherlands and Japan have 1 win and 1 draw, but the Netherlands is at the top of the group due to a superior goal difference.

Sweden, who defeated Tunisia 5-1 in their first match, dropped to third place with 1 win and 1 loss (3 points). Tunisia, having suffered heavy defeats in both of their matches, has been eliminated from the tournament. Competing in their seventh World Cup finals, Tunisia has yet to advance past the group stage, including this tournament.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.