Kuala Lumpur (AFP)
The draw for the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was drawn in Kuala Lumpur, resulted in a fiery group that included Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
In contrast, the second group had an Arab flavour, with the presence of five teams from West Asia in addition to South Korea, thus ensuring the qualification of an Arab team to the finals, as the first and second place teams in each group qualify for the World Cup.
As for the first group, Qatar signed the Asian champions at the beginning of this year, along with Iran, Uzbekistan and the UAE.
The third round matches will be held between September 2024 and June 2025, and the first two teams in each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the six teams that finish third and fourth in each group will play in the Asian qualifiers play-off, where they will be distributed into two groups of 3 teams, and the first two groups will qualify directly for the finals, then the second-place teams in each group will play in a play-off, to determine the identity of the team that will play in the global play-off, and the possibility of obtaining an additional seat for the yellow continent.
The World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Here is the draw:
– The first group: Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea
– The second group: South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait
– The third group: Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia
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