Japan face tricky trips on road to 2026 World Cup

An estimated 78,000 will pack out the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in the Indonesian capital Jakarta in hope of seeing the hosts pull off a shock on Friday. Hajime Moriyasu's Japan will then need to face down another hostile crowd when they travel to Xiamen on Tuesday to play China.

With the third Asian qualifying round nearing the halfway point, Japan are five points clear at the top of Group C from Australia and Saudi Arabia, who face each other on Thursday. The top two from each of the three groups go straight to the World Cup.

China and Indonesia occupy the bottom two spots in Group C but are not out of possible further qualifying stage. Moriyasu has called up Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi for the first time in a year after first-choice striker Ayase Ueda was injured.