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 according to their FIFA ranking 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 the UAE at the 2026 World Cup qualifier to become the 2nd country.
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC Third Round
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 | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 20 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 18 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 14 | Fourth round |
| 4 | Qatar | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 13 | Fourth round |
| 5 | Kyrgyzstan | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 17 | −6 | 7 | |
| 6 | North Korea | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 18 | −9 | 3 |
2025 Fixtures of AFC Third Round – A Group
20 March 2025 – Iran v United Arab Emirates -Azadi Stadium, Tehran – 2–0
20 March 2025 – Qatar v North Korea – Al Wakrah Stadium, Al Wakrah – 5–1
20 March 2025 – Uzbekistan v Kyrgyzstan – Milliy Stadium, Tashkent – 1–0
25 March 2025 – Iran v Uzbekistan – Azadi Stadium, Tehran – 2–2
25 March 2025 – Kyrgyzstan v Qatar – Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek – 3–1
25 March 2025 – North Korea v United Arab Emirates – 1–2
5 June 2025 – Qatar v Iran – Lusail Stadium, Lusail – 1–0
5 June 2025 – United Arab Emirates v Uzbekistan – 0–0
5 June 2025 – North Korea v Kyrgyzstan – 2–2
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 | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 19 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | Jordan | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 16 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | Iraq | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 12 | Fourth round |
| 4 | Oman | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 10 | Fourth round |
| 5 | Palestine | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 9 | |
| 6 | Kuwait | 9 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 | −9 | 5 |
2025 Fixtures of AFC Third Round – B Group
20 March 2025 – South Korea v Oman – 1–1
20 March 2025 – Iraq vs Kuwait – Basra International Stadium, Basra – 2–2
20 March 2025 – Jordan v Palestine – Amman International Stadium, Amman – 3–1
25 March 2025 – South Korea v Jordan – 1–1
25 March 2025 – Palestine vs Iraq – Amman International Stadium, Amman – 2–1
25 March 2025 – Kuwait v Oman – 0–1
5 June 2025 – Iraq v South Korea – Basra International Stadium, Basra – 0–3
5 June 2025 – Oman v Jordan – Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat – 0–2
5 June 2025 – Kuwait v Palestine – 0–2
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 | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 3 | +21 | 20 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | Australia | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 16 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 13 | Fourth round |
| 4 | Indonesia | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 12 | Fourth round |
| 5 | Bahrain | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 6 | |
| 6 | China | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 | −14 | 6 |
2025 Fixtures of AFC Third Round – C Group
20 March 2025 – Japan v Bahrain – Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama – 2–0
20 March 2025 – Australia v Indonesia – Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney – 5–1
20 March 2025 – Saudi Arabia v China – King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah – 1–0
25 March 2025 – Japan v Saudi Arabia – Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama – 0–0
25 March 2025 – China v Australia – Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium, Hangzhou – 0–2
25 March 2025 – Indonesia v Bahrain – Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta – 1–0
5 June 2025 – Australia v Japan – Perth Stadium, Perth – 1–1
5 June 2025 – Indonesia v China – Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta – 1–0
5 June 2025 – Bahrain v Saudi Arabia – Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa – 0–2
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. Here is the list of all the Asian qualified teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
| S No | Groups | Team | Total Points | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Group A | Iran | 20 | Yes |
| 2 | Group A | Uzbekistan | 17 | Yes |
| 3 | Group B | South Korea | 16 | Yes |
| 4 | Group B | Jordan | 13 | Yes |
| 5 | Group C | Japan | 29 | Yes |
| 6 | Group C | Australia | 13 | Leading |
How Many Asian teams have qualified for the forth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
- United Arab Emirates
- Qatar
- Iraq
- Indonesia
- Saudi Arabia
- Oman
Top Goalscorers
5 Goals
- Iran Mohammad Mohebi
- Jordan Yazan Al-Naimat
- Jordan Ali Olwan
- Kuwait Yousef Nasser
- Qatar Almoez Ali
- United Arab Emirates Fábio Lima