Today, the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the Asian zone
Top 18
The group draw for the tournament was held in grand style at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. As the fifth-tier team, the national soccer team also participated in the group draw. Here are the specific groupings for each group:
Group A:
Iran Qatar Uzbekistan UAE Kyrgyzstan North Korea
Group B:
Korea Iraq Jordan Oman Palestine Kuwait
Group C:
Japan Australia Saudi Arabia Bahrain China Indonesia
No restrictions were set during the draw and each team had the opportunity to compete against other teams. The draw starts with the sixth slot and is arranged in order to the teams in the first slot.
Contest Schedule and Rules:
The 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams each. The matches will be played between September 2024 and June 2025, with a home and away system. The top two teams from each group advance directly to the 2026 World Cup proper. The third and fourth placed teams from each group will advance to the fourth stage. In the fourth stage, the six teams will be divided into two groups of three teams each, with the top team advancing directly to the World Cup and the second-placed team in the group participating in a play-off for qualification to the Intercontinental Play-offs.
The draw opens a new chapter in Asian qualifying, with teams battling it out to qualify for the World Cup.
