Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
Heading into Thursday’s clash, Australia trail Japan by seven points in the 2026 World Cup qualification standings. Japan have already secured their spot at the tournament, and in Perth, they are expected to take the initiative, boasting significantly more attacking options than Australia.
Australia
Before their March victories over Indonesia (5:1) and China (2:0), Australia had gone three matches without a win. Since autumn, Australia have managed only three victories in eight fixtures. Their continued presence in the top two has been largely helped by rivals dropping points, rather than consistent attacking performances. They will be without their captain Anthony Popovic for the June fixtures, with the FC St. Pauli midfielder still sidelined due to injury.
Japan
Japan have dropped just four points in eight matches during this qualification campaign, scoring 24 goals and conceding only two. Back in March, the squad confirmed their place at the 2026 World Cup. Takefusa Kubo (2+4), Takumi Minamino (3+0), Hidemasa Morita (3+1), and Koki Ogawa (4+0) are all among the top 20 scorers in the Asian qualifiers. Japan have won each of their last six away matches, scoring at least three times in five of those games.
Australia vs Japan Prediction
The 1:1 draw between Australia and Japan in October brought an end to a three-match winning run for Japan. Even with qualification already secured, the visitors are expected to control possession. The market value of the Japan squad is more than eight times that of Australia, which is likely to be evident in the pattern of play.
