Strong Asian groups in the struggle to qualify for the World Cup

The draw for the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was drawn - Thursday - in Kuala Lumpur, resulted in a fiery third group that included 3 top teams from the yellow continent: Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

The 18 teams qualified for the decisive third round were divided into 3 groups of 6 teams, with the top two teams in each group qualifying directly to the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

The six third- and fourth-placed teams in each group will participate in a play-off, in which they will be divided into two groups of 3 teams. The first of the two groups will qualify directly for the finals, and the second-placed teams in each group will play in a play-off to determine the identity of the team that will compete in the global play-off and the possibility of obtaining an additional seat for the Yellow Continent.

Saudi Arabia is in the group of death

The mission of Saudi Arabia, which seeks to reach the World Cup for the third time in a row and the seventh in its history, will not be easy against the teams:

Japan

Australia

the two seas

China

Indonesia

Japanese national team director Masakuni Yamamoto commented, saying, “The draw placed us in a very difficult and challenging group. We have matches against teams that have previously participated in the World Cup, and at the same time we will play in regions with different atmospheres, and we will have challenges in traveling. We must ensure that we are prepared in the best way possible.” For players, because there are a lot of challenges.”

On the other hand, Australia coach Graham Arnold, in statements to the AFC website, seemed confident, saying, “I believe that we have become stronger as a team. In the previous qualifiers we did not have the depth as we do now. Many people think that there are 8 and a half seats available in order to qualify.” “And things will be easier, but the draw proved today that there are 3 strong groups.”

A collection with an Arabic flavor

On the other hand, the second group had an Arab flavor with the presence of 5 teams from West Asia alongside South Korea, thus ensuring the qualification of an Arab team to the finals as the first and second in each group qualified for the World Cup.

The five Arab teams are:

Iraq

Jordan, runner-up in the yellow continent

Oman

Palestine

Kuwait

The managing director of the Jordanian national team (Group Two), Muhammad Manjou, confirmed that the draw placed the Nashama team in a “balanced group that is neither easy nor difficult.”

He said, "We have great confidence in Al-Nashama in achieving the dream of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time."

He added, "The Arab teams know each other well, and this will increase the intensity of the competition. The Nashama team will be ready for the qualifiers and has a plan and preparation stage that suits this important stage in the history of Jordanian football."

It is noteworthy that the Jordanian national team faced South Korea twice in the last Asian Cup, in which it achieved second place behind Qatar, where the two teams tied 2-2 in the group stage, and Jordan won 2-0 in the semi-final, and also surpassed the Jordanian national team on its way to the final match for the first time. In its history, Iraq won a dramatic 3-2 victory in the final eight.

Jordan is participating for the second time in the decisive round of the World Cup qualifiers, after the first in the 2014 Brazil World Cup qualifiers, in which Al-Nashama reached the global playoff and faced Uruguay, where they lost 0-5 in the first leg and tied 0-0 in the return.

The Tunisian coach of the Palestine national team, Makram Daboub, believed that his team’s mission would not be easy. He said in this regard, “I think the draw is difficult in the different groups, and the journey will take approximately 10 months. We have a chance, and our goal is to be among the first 4 teams in the group.” “We hope that the players will live up to expectations.”

Qatar with Iran, Uzbekistan and the UAE

Like Saudi Arabia, the path of Qatar, the Asian champion, will not be paved with roses to reach the World Cup for the second time in its history and the first through the qualifiers after it automatically played the 2022 edition on its home soil as the host country.

Qatar came in the first group along with:

Iran

Uzbekistan

The UAE

Kyrgyzstan

north korea

Qatari national team coach, former Australian star Tim Cahill, commented, saying, "We must always believe in our luck. We now realize the identity of the teams we will face, and it is now a matter of preparation, logistical matters, and ensuring the team's readiness, both mentally and physically."

On the other hand, the Portuguese coach of the Emirates, Paulo Bento, considered that "the task will be difficult because of the quality of the teams that we will meet. From a logistical standpoint, things are not bad for us. This is important because sometimes our players are not accustomed to traveling a lot, and we will not need to adapt much." .

Source: Agencies