Australia vs Japan Prediction and Betting Tips

Australia and Japan return to action in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they square off at the Optus Stadium on Thursday, 5 June. Hajime Moriyasu’s men are on a run of five consecutive away victories in the qualifiers and will be looking to extend this impressive streak.

Australia continued their push for a top-two finish in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers as they secured a 2-0 victory over China at the Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium back in March.

Having kicked off the campaign with a 1-0 loss against Bahrain in September 2024, Tony Popovic’s side have gone unbeaten in their subsequent seven matches, claiming three wins and four draws in that time.

With 13 points from a possible 24, Australia are currently second in the Group C standings, three points above third-placed Saudi Arabia, who sit just outside the automatic qualifying places.

Japan, on the other hand, were denied a fourth win on the bounce in the qualifiers as they were held to a goalless draw by Saudi Arabia at the Saitama Stadium last time out.

Moriyasu’s men are still one of just three nations yet to suffer defeat in the qualifiers, claiming six wins and two draws to collect 20 points and sit seven points clear at the top of Group C.

This blistering run of results has been owing to the solid job done at both ends of the pitch as Japan have netted a staggering 24 goals in their eight matches so far while conceding just twice.

Australia vs Japan Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

With 12 wins from the last 27 meetings between the sides, Japan holds the upper hand in the history of this fixture.
Australia have picked up six wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on nine occasions.
Japan are unbeaten in their last nine games against Popovic’s men, picking up four wins and five draws since a 2-1 defeat in June 2009.
Australia are unbeaten in six of their last seven competitive home games, claiming five wins and one draw since March 2023.
Japan have won their last five away matches in the qualifiers, scoring 19 goals and keeping four clean sheets since June 2024.

Australia vs Japan Prediction

While Japan have pulled clear at the top of the table and are well on course to secure first place, Australia are in a heated race for the final automatic qualifying spot. However, Japan are unbeaten in the qualifiers and we predict they will hold the hosts to a share of the spoils.

Prediction: Australia 1-1 Japan

Australia vs Japan Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Draw

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - No (There have been fewer than three goals scored in four of the last five meetings between the two teams)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in their last 10 clashes)

About the author

Joshua is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda who covers news and match previews. He fell in love with the sport watching Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o win titles at club and international level, and his passion for the sport led him to become a professional football writer. He has an overall professional experience of 5 years.

Joshua supports Chelsea at club level, having witnessed a number of African stars break records with the club. Drogba’s equalizing header and match-winning shootout penalty for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final left a last impact on him. His favorite player is Eden Hazard and favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who gave him the most joyous days as a Blues supporter. He believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlucky to be born in Messi’s era and favors the Argentine in the G.O.A.T. debate.

Joshua also follows the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Nigeria Professional Football League and loves to play football during his free time. Having attained a B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, he employs his problem-solving skills in crafting articles while doing extensive research to ensure each article is well thought out and crafted.

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