Japan will play Syria, North Korea and either Myanmar or Macau in the second round Group B of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers as a result of Thursday's draw in Kuala Lumpur.
Seeking their eighth straight finals appearance, the Samurai Blue and their three rivals will all play home and away games. The top two teams from each of the nine four-team groups will reach Asia's final qualifying round.
Nine Asian teams will qualify for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico following the World Cup's expansion from 32 teams to 48.
Japan, 20th in the FIFA rankings, will play either Myanmar or Macau on Nov. 16 before taking on 94th-ranked Syria five days later. North Korea, ranked 115th, will play both its games against Japan in March.
"The qualifying campaign is finally about to start. We'll head into it exercising strong mentality and teamwork," Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said.
