The AFC third round of Asian 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will start from 5 September 2024 to 10 June 2025. The process will involve 9 group winners and 9 group runners-up from the 2nd round of AFC qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The qualifying competition was divided into three groups of six teams—the FIFA World Cup tournament: preliminary round, Qualifying group stage, and playoffs round.
The 46 FIFA-affiliated Nations football teams from Asia entered the qualification round. The matches in the third round will start on 5 September. Here we are sharing the list of the qualification teams & the Schedule of matches.
All the qualified teams were divided into three groups per their FIFA rank for the AFC Third Round.
Japan is the first team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Bahrain 2-0, and Iran beat UAE at the 2026 World Cup qualifier to become the 2nd country.
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC Third Round
Table of Contents
The 18 teams were divided into three groups, with eight confirmed berths and a possible additional spot via a playoff available for Asia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Schedule
| 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 |
Qualified teams
| Australia Bahrain China Indonesia Iran Iraq | Japan Jordan Kuwait Kyrgyzstan North Korea Oman | Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan |
AFC Third Round Groups of 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification | Points Table and Fixtures
Group A
| Pos | Teams | Pld | Win | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 20 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 17 |
| 3 | UAE | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 13 |
| 4 | Qatar | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 10 |
| 5 | Kyrgyzstan | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 6 |
| 6 | North Korea | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 16 | −9 | 2 |
2025 Fixtures of AFC Third Round – A Group
20 March 2025 – Iran v United Arab Emirates -Azadi Stadium, Tehran
20 March 2025 – Qatar v North Korea – Al Wakrah Stadium, Al Wakrah
20 March 2025 – Uzbekistan v Kyrgyzstan – Milliy Stadium, Tashkent
25 March 2025 – Iran v Uzbekistan – Azadi Stadium, Tehran
25 March 2025 – Kyrgyzstan v Qatar – Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
25 March 2025 – North Korea v United Arab Emirates –
5 June 2025 – Qatar v Iran – Lusail Stadium, Lusail
5 June 2025 – United Arab Emirates v Uzbekistan
5 June 2025 – North Korea v Kyrgyzstan –
10 June 2025 – Iran v North Korea – Azadi Stadium, Tehran
10 June 2025 – Uzbekistan v Qatar – Milliy Stadium, Tashkent
10 June 2025 – Kyrgyzstan v United Arab Emirates – Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
Group B
| Pos | Teams | Pld | Win | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 16 |
| 2 | Jordan | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 13 |
| 3 | Iraq | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 12 |
| 4 | Oman | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 10 |
| 5 | Palestine | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 6 |
| 6 | Kuwait | 8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 5 |
2025 Fixtures of AFC Third Round – B Group
20 March 2025 – South Korea v Oman
20 March 2025 – Iraq vs Kuwait – Basra International Stadium, Basra
20 March 2025 – Jordan v Palestine – Amman International Stadium, Amman
25 March 2025 – South Korea v Jordan
25 March 2025 – Palestine vs Iraq – Amman International Stadium, Amman
25 March 2025 – Kuwait v Oman
5 June 2025 – Iraq v South Korea – Basra International Stadium, Basra
5 June 2025 – Oman v Jordan – Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat
5 June 2025 – Kuwait v Palestine –
10 June 2025 – South Korea vs Kuwait
10 June 2025 – Jordan v Iraq – Amman International Stadium, Amman
10 June 2025 – Palestine v Oman
Group C
| Pos | Teams | Pld | Win | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 2 | +22 | 20 |
| 2 | Australia | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 13 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 10 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 9 |
| 5 | Bahrain | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 6 |
| 6 | China | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 19 | −13 | 6 |
2025 Fixtures of AFC Third Round – C Group
20 March 2025 – Japan v Bahrain – Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
20 March 2025 – Australia v Indonesia – Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
20 March 2025 – Saudi Arabia v China – King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah
25 March 2025 – Japan v Saudi Arabia – Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
25 March 2025 – China v Australia – Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium, Hangzhou
25 March 2025 – Indonesia v Bahrain – Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta
5 June 2025 – Australia v Japan – Perth Stadium, Perth
5 June 2025 – Indonesia v China – Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta
5 June 2025 – Bahrain v Saudi Arabia – Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa
10 June 2025 – Japan v Indonesia – Suita City Football Stadium, Suita
10 June 2025 – China v Bahrain
10 June 2025 – Saudi Arabia v Australia
Goalscorers
How Many Asian teams have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Japan became the first nation to qualify, and Iran became the second Asian country to be eligible for the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.
| S No | Groups | Team | Total Points | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group A | Iran | 20 | Yes |
| 2 | Group A | Uzbekistan | 17 | Leading |
| 3 | Group B | South Korea | 16 | Leading |
| 4 | Group B | Jordan | 13 | Leading |
| 5 | Group C | Japan | 29 | Yes |
| 6 | Group C | Australia | 13 | Leading |
