Japan gave the 1000th match in FIFA World Cup history the result the occasion deserved, beating Tunisia 4-0 in a composed Group E performance on June 21. Daichi Kamada opened the scoring, Ayase Ueda added two more, and Junya Ito wrapped up a comfortable victory that keeps Japan firmly on course for the knockout stage.

FIFA confirmed before kick-off that this fixture would be the thousandth match played at a World Cup since the tournament began in 1930. Japan made sure the milestone went to the winning side. They controlled possession through the first half, opened the scoring through Kamada with a well-worked team move, and never looked genuinely threatened at the back.

Ueda’s brace was the story of the second half. The Feyenoord striker has been sharp for Japan throughout this tournament. His first goal came after he beat the offside trap and finished low across the goalkeeper. His second arrived when he capitalised on poor coordination between the Tunisian goalkeeper and his defenders. Ito added a fourth late on from outside the box to complete the scoring.

Tunisia came in with organised defensive intentions, but Japan’s pace on the wings and quick combinations in midfield created too many problems. The Japanese press was also effective, forcing errors high up the pitch and converting two of the resulting chances. It was the kind of all-round performance that winning teams produce in group stages.

Japan’s manager Hajime Moriyasu has spoken repeatedly about his squad’s goal of reaching the final. Three points from this win, combined with their opening group result, puts Japan in a strong position to advance as Group E leaders going into the final matchday.

Tunisia face an uphill task. With no points from two matches, they need to win their final group game and hope other results go in their favour. Their chances are slim but the mathematics still technically exist.

The Group E standings and final matchday fixtures are in our World Cup tracker. Japan’s 2026 run has echoes of their 2022 campaign in Qatar where they also topped their group. The full 2026 World Cup results are live on FIFA’s site. See also Sunday’s other World Cup results including Germany’s dramatic late winner over Ivory Coast.