Football Bet of the Day: Japan can set Aussie nerves jangling

Thursday brings us some World Cup qualifiers from Asia, and there’s a headline game that has caught my eye. Australia host Japan (12:10) knowing that a win will all but secure them a spot in the 2026 World Cup finals. 

Meanwhile, Japan became the first team to qualify for next summer’s tournament with a win over Bahrain, but will want to get a good result in arguably their biggest test so far. Below you can find my Football Bet of the Day for Thursday, June 5. 

I know the game state here and the fact that there is nothing riding on this game for Japan may tilt the odds in Australia's favour, but the away side will want to go far at the World Cup. In my opinion, they are the best team in the AFC qualification section and have proved that over the last 18 months. 

Iran and South Korea look set to join them by winning the other groups, while second-place finishes and automatic qualification to the World Cup are also a possibility for Jordan and Uzbekistan - both of whom would be first-time participants.

Australia vs Japan Odds

Australia are always there or thereabouts, and will hope to secure second spot in Group C ahead of Saudi Arabia. They currently hold a three-point advantage over the 2034 World Cup hosts and it looks like it could come down to a one-game shootout as the pair meet on the final day of qualifying in Jeddah next week. 

If Tony Popovic can lead his side to victory over Japan, it would give them an almost unassailable lead when you take goal difference into account. However, Japan are a top class team with an awful lot of quality and I think they could be dark horses in 2026. 

Their midfield duo of Wataru Endo and Ao Tanaka are now both Premier League players, with the Leeds United man having a sparkling debut season in the Championship. Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo is an exciting forward at just 23, while Daichi Kamada also plays in England’s top flight with Crystal Palace. 

Football Odds

Ayase Ueda of Feyenoord and Celtic’s Daizen Maeda have shared number nine duties of late, but the cohesion of this outfit makes them incredibly tough to beat. Their 3-4-3 system limits the opposition to only a handful of chances, and impressively they have only conceded two goals in eight Group C matches so far. 

Two own goals saw the reverse fixture end 1-1, but I just think on the whole Japan should be able to show their class. The World Cup is within touching distance for Australia, but they’ve now got to face their two toughest opponents in their final two matches. What’s Aussie for squeaky bum time?