Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
All eyes will be on Saitama Stadium when Japan and China go head to head in a highly-anticipated World Cup qualifier. The Samurai Blue are on a three-game winning run in Group B, and it is no wonder the bookies see them as hot favourites to beat China in front of home fans. Both Maya Yoshida and Takehiro Tomiyasu are sidelined with injuries, but Liverpool talent Takumi Minamino is likely to prove a handful for the opposition back-line.
China, on the other hand, head into the match following back-to-back draws with Oman and Australia. A man to watch in the away team will be Wu Lei, who has netted 27 goals for the national team, but seeing that Japan are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we do not believe that Li Xiaopeng’s troops are capable of grabbing something from the match.
Highlighted Player (Wataru Endo):
Wataru Endo is a Japanese footballer who plays for Urawa Red Diamonds as a defender. Endo is a product of Shonan Bellmare youth academy and he continued playing for the club at senior level. After scoring 21 goals in 153 appearances (league) for the club the 178-cm tall centre-back moved to Urawa Red Diamonds in 2016 and he has been playing for the J1 League club ever since.
Endo won the AFC Champions League with Urawa in 2017 as the Reds defeated Al-Hilal in the final of the competition. The Japanese defender played 90 minutes in the victory over the Saudi Arabian side and the winning of the AFC Champions League trophy is considered the biggest success of his career.
Wataru Endo made his debut for Japan on August 2, 2015 in a 2-1 loss to Korea DPR at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship. In 2016 he was the AFC U-23 Championship trophy with the Samurai Blue. The Urawa Red Diamonds footballer was born in Totsuka-ku, Yokohama (Japan) on February 9, 1993.