2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification – AFC Third Round
The third round of AFC matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification is played from 5 September 2024 to 10 June 2025.
Format
The eighteen teams that advanced from the second round (nine group winners and nine group runners-up) were divided into three groups of six teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams of each group will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the fourth round.
From the teams that advance to the fourth round, the two teams with the best results in this round also receive the right to host the fourth round groups.
Qualified teams
The following teams finished first or second in their respective second round groups:
Draw
The draw for the third round was held on 27 June 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The seeding for the draw was based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings on 20 June 2024 (shown in parentheses below).
Each group contained one team from each of the six pots. The draw started with Pot 6 and concluded with Pot 1, with each team drawn being placed in the corresponding position sequentially in Group A, then B, then C.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
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| Pot 4 | Pot 5 | Pot 6 |
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Schedule
The competition schedule is expected to be as follows:
| Matchday | Date |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 5 September 2024 |
| Matchday 2 | 10 September 2024 |
| Matchday 3 | 10 October 2024 |
| Matchday 4 | 15 October 2024 |
| Matchday 5 | 14–15 November 2024 |
| Matchday 6 | 19 November 2024 |
| Matchday 7 | 20 March 2025 |
| Matchday 8 | 25 March 2025 |
| Matchday 9 | 5 June 2025 |
| Matchday 10 | 10 June 2025 |
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
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| 1 | Iran (X)
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6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 16 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 25 Mar | 20 Mar | 4–1 | 1–0 | 10 Jun | |
| 2 | Uzbekistan
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6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 13 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 10 Jun | 20 Mar | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | United Arab Emirates
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6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 10 | Fourth round | 0–1 | 5 Jun | — | 5–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | |
| 4 | Qatar
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6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 7 | 5 Jun | 3–2 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 20 Mar | ||
| 5 | Kyrgyzstan
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6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 3 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 10 Jun | 25 Mar | — | 1–0 | ||
| 6 | North Korea
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6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 25 Mar | 2–2 | 5 Jun | — |
Updated to match(es) played on 19 November 2024. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(X) Assured of advancing to the fourth round; can still qualify directly
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(X) Assured of advancing to the fourth round; can still qualify directly
| North Korea | 2–2 | Qatar |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2–3 | Uzbekistan |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Iran | 4–1 | Qatar |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| North Korea | 2–3 | Iran |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
| Qatar | 3–2 | Uzbekistan |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| United Arab Emirates | 5–0 | Qatar |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea
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6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 14 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 3–2 | 25 Mar | 20 Mar | 10 Jun | 0–0 | |
| 2 | Iraq
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6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 11 | 5 Jun | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 20 Mar | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Jordan
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6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 9 | Fourth round | 0–2 | 10 Jun | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | 20 Mar | |
| 4 | Oman
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6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 6 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 5 Jun | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Kuwait
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6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 4 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 25 Mar | — | 5 Jun | ||
| 6 | Palestine
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6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 3 | 1–1 | 25 Mar | 1–3 | 10 Jun | 2–2 | — |
| Iraq | 1–0 | Oman |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
| Palestine | 1–3 | Jordan |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Attendance: 3,012
Referee: Majed Al-Shamrani (Saudi Arabia)
| Oman | 1–3 | South Korea |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Oman | 4–0 | Kuwait |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
| South Korea | 3–2 | Iraq |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
| Kuwait | 1–3 | South Korea |
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| Palestine | 1–1 | South Korea |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Oman | 0–1 | Iraq |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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Attendance: 26,377
Referee: Omar Mohamed Al Ali (United Arab Emirates)
| Kuwait | 1–1 | Jordan |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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Attendance: 29,400
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan (X)
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6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | +20 | 16 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–1 | 10 Jun | 25 Mar | 20 Mar | 7–0 | |
| 2 | Australia
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6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | 5 Jun | — | 20 Mar | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | Indonesia
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6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 6 | Fourth round | 0–4 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 25 Mar | 5 Jun | |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia
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6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 6 | 0–2 | 10 Jun | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 20 Mar | ||
| 5 | Bahrain
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6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 6 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 5 Jun | — | 0–1 | ||
| 6 | China
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6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 6 | 1–3 | 25 Mar | 2–1 | 1–2 | 10 Jun | — |
Updated to match(es) played on 19 November 2024. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(X) Assured of advancing to the fourth round; can still qualify directly
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(X) Assured of advancing to the fourth round; can still qualify directly
| Saudi Arabia | 1–1 | Indonesia |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| China | 1–2 | Saudi Arabia |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Australia | 3–1 | China |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Bahrain | 2–2 | Indonesia |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| China | 2–1 | Indonesia |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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Attendance: 37,133
Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)
| Australia | 0–0 | Saudi Arabia |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Attendance: 27,491
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
| Bahrain | 0–1 | China |
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| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Indonesia | 2–0 | Saudi Arabia |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
| Bahrain | 2–2 | Australia |
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Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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Goalscorers
There have been 142 goals scored in 54 matches, for an average of 2.63 goals per match (as of 19 November 2024).
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Craig Goodwin- Lewis Miller
- Nishan Velupillay
Behram Abduweli- Lin Liangming
- Xie Wenneng
Thom Haye- Ragnar Oratmangoen
- Rafael Struick
- Sandy Walsh
Saleh Hardani
Youssef Amyn- Ibrahim Bayesh
Wataru Endō- Ko Itakura
- Junya Itō
- Daichi Kamada
- Takefusa Kubo
- Daizen Maeda
- Kaoru Mitoma
- Yukinari Sugawara
Noor Al-Rawabdeh- Musa Al-Taamari
Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov- Khristiyan Brauzman
- Alimardon Shukurov
Jong Il-gwan- Kang Kuk-chol
- Kim Yu-song
- Ri Il-song
Abdullah Fawaz
Akram Afif- Lucas Mendes
Musab Al-Juwayr
Bae Jun-ho- Hwang Hee-chan
- Joo Min-kyu
Khaled Ibrahim- Marcus Meloni
- Ali Saleh
Husniddin Aliqulov- Jaloliddin Masharipov
- Eldor Shomurodov
- Otabek Shukurov
- Oston Urunov
1 own goal
- Cameron Burgess (against Japan)
- Harry Souttar (against Bahrain)
- Justin Hubner (against Japan)
- Mehdi Taremi (against North Korea)
- Shogo Taniguchi (against Australia)
- Tamirlan Kozubayev (against Qatar)
- Ali Lajami (against China)
- Jung Seung-hyun (against Oman)
Notes
- ^ The North Korean team has confirmed moving the match to Laos due to "security concerns".
- ^ The AFC has moved the match to a neutral venue due to security concerns relating to the 2024 Iran–Israel conflict.
- ^ Palestine play all their home matches at a neutral venue until further notice, due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.
- ^ Because of traffic accidents holding up the Australians on the Shuto Expressway, Football Australia and JFA jointly requested to slightly postpone the match, but were denied by the AFC match commissioner. Australia started warming up at 19:06, 29 minutes before kick-off. Australia, staying in the five-star Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in downtown Bunkyō, Tokyo, took 2 hours 9 minutes (16:37-18:46) to arrive the stadium via chartered coach, while ordinary driving time from Tokyo Station is estimated to be 40 minutes, according to the stadium.
References
- ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 – Jun 2025)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Asia's pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 confirmed". Asian Football Confederation. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". the-AFC. Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Third round cast finalised". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Road to 26 draw to reveal riveting battles for Asian contenders". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Draw procedures for the AFC Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26" (PDF). FIFA. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Road to 26 - Draw Results & Match Schedule" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ Reddy, Shreyas (16 August 2024). "North Korea moves World Cup qualifier from Pyongyang due to 'security concerns'". NK News. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "Latest update on AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ "Latest update on AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Malaysia to host Palestine vs Jordan World Cup Qualifier match". The Sun. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Smyth, Rob (2024-10-15). "Admirable defensive performance earns the Socceroos a vital point in a match of two own goals against the Samurai Blue". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2024-10-16.
Our man in Tokyo says both teams requested a delay to the kick-off and were rejected by the Asian Football Confederation. That's pretty ordinary, and there are a few alternative words as well— Socceroos team bus set out at 4:37pm from Bunkyo and arrived in Saitama 6:46pm - Two hours and nine minutes. JFA and FA requested a delay to kickoff but AFC declined— Joey Lynch
- ^ McKern, James (2024-10-15). "Socceroos dudded by 'scandalous' decision after chaotic scenes unfold". news.com.au.
- ^ @Socceroos (2024-10-15). "One final stretch of the legs on matchday 👟 Tonight's kick off in Japan awaits". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2024-10-16.
[photos of Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo]
- ^ "Directions". Saitama Stadium official website. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
By Car: Urawa interchange - 10 minutes, Iwatsuki interchange - 15 minutes, Tokyo Station - 40 minutes, Haneda Airport - 50 minutes
External links
- Asian Qualifiers: Road to 26 playlist on YouTube