Japan crush Tunisia 4–0 in landmark 1,000th match of FIFA World Cup 2026

KATHMANDU: FIFA World Cup 2026 witnessed a historic milestone as Japan delivered a dominant 4–0 victory over Tunisia in what was recorded as the 1,000th match in World Cup history.

The Group F clash, held in Monterrey, saw Japan produce a clinical and commanding performance to strengthen their qualification hopes for the knockout stage.

Ayase Ueda scored twice, while Daichi Kamada and Junya Ito added one goal each in a one-sided encounter. Japan now have four points from two matches, level with Netherlands, keeping the race for top spot in the group wide open.

Japan made an early breakthrough in the 4th minute when Kamada finished off a Keito Nakamura assist. Ueda doubled the lead in the 31st minute, converting a precise pass from Ko Itakura to give Japan a comfortable 2–0 halftime advantage.

The dominance continued after the break. Ito made it 3–0 in the 69th minute from Ueda’s assist, before Ueda struck again in the 83rd minute to complete a commanding brace and seal the emphatic win.

Japan controlled 62% of possession and registered 11 shots, five of which were on target. In contrast, Tunisia managed only two attempts without hitting the target.

Ueda became only the second player in this World Cup edition to register both a brace and an assist in a single match, matching Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo’s earlier feat against Sweden.

With this result, Japan also secured their second-ever World Cup win over Tunisia, repeating their 2002 success. Tunisia, meanwhile, have suffered back-to-back defeats and become the first team in the tournament to concede nine goals in their opening two matches.

After a 2–2 draw against the Netherlands, Japan will face Sweden in their final group fixture, while Tunisia meet the Netherlands as their campaign nears an early exit.