the fight rages in the Asia Zone

Winning a qualifying ticket is very complicated in the Asia zone, probably the confederation which requires flawless regularity and solidity. The qualifiers for the Asian zone of the 2026 World Cup are thus organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and concern the 47 Asian national teams, but only 8 or 9 will be able to benefit from a precious sesame for the next edition in the States -United States, Canada and Mexico. The qualifying system is made up of five rounds. The first two rounds had a double challenge since they also served as qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup of Nations. The first round only concerns the 20 teams ranked from 27th to 47th in the AFC zone in the FIFA rankings which meet in two-legged knockout matches.

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The second round brings together the ten winners of the first round, who are then joined by the 26 other countries ranked from 1st to 26th place in the AFC zone. These 36 nations are then divided into 9 groups of four teams. The teams compete in home and away matches. The top two from each group qualify for the third round. During this phase, several nations such as Lebanon, India, Syria and Yemen were unable to advance to the next round. And this is how the third round, which began last September, continues during this international break in November. After four contested days, initial analyzes are emerging from these qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the challenges at almost the halfway point are taking shape.

Favorites that confirm their status

Stung after making their respective missteps in the 2023 Asian Nations Cup, Japan and South Korea were quick to get the ball rolling to send a message to the Asian competition, starting with Samurai Blue . Hajime Moriyasu's troops are crushing every opponent in Group C. With a record of three wins and one draw, Japan proudly sits at the top of its group with the best attack in the third round of these Cup Qualifiers of the 2026 World Cup with 15 goals scored, but also the best defense with only one goal conceded against Australia (1-1). We can cite the large victories against China (7-0) and Bahrain (0-5) but also the solid success against Saudi Arabia (0-2). As for the Taeguk Warriors, all is well in the best of all possible worlds as well: Kang-in Lee's teammates confirm their status with this first place in Group B thanks to their three victories in four days. Japan and South Korea are therefore present in these qualifications.

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Among the other favorites, Iran is not weakening. The players now coached by Amir Ghalenoei are in 1st position in Group A and are also still undefeated with three victories in four matches. After a sluggish start to the third round where Team Melli had to settle for the bare minimum against Kyrgyzstan (1-0) and the United Arab Emirates (0-1), they were able to progress against Qatar thanks to a double from Sardar Azmoun (4-1), despite a previous goalless score against Uzbekistan (0-0). After the failure in the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup of Nations, the Iranian coach calls for unity: “ Everyone should have confidence in Iranian coaches. We have a lot of good Iranian coaches who couldn't come to Europe because of the political situation in Iran. I'm not saying the reviews aren't good, but some people have tried to ruin the national team over the last 11 months. This is not right… I want to thank those who supported us, as well as my family. »

Saudi Arabia already has its back against the wall

If there is a nation that stands out in Asia, but not in a good way, it is Saudi Arabia. This international break promises to be special since it marks the great return of Hervé Renard at the head of the selection. Indeed, arriving with great fanfare in August 2023, Italian coach Roberto Mancini left, alienating supporters and members of the Federation. The poor results accumulated in recent months got the better of him and the Saudi Federation decided to call Hervé Renard to the rescue. During the last break, the Green Falcons lost in Jeddah against Japan (0-2) and had to settle for a draw (0-0) against Bahrain. Consequences of this, Saudi Arabia is in 3rd position in Group C of the 3rd round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This would therefore imply that the Saudi selection would have to go through the play-off box of the 4th round to pocket a qualifying ticket . “ We must apologize to the large public who support us. We have not seen the Saudi national team in this situation. We are not satisfied with what is happening. Getting two points from three home matches is unacceptable. A decision will be made God willing. It is impossible to let the team present itself like this for three matches in front of an audience that supports them from the first minute to the last minute “, declared Yasser Al-Mashal, president of the Saudi Football Federation.

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And during this international break in November, Saudi Arabia will have to face a big name from the Asian confederation by crossing swords tomorrow with Australia. Indeed, the Socceroos are 2nd behind Japan in Group C with the same number of points as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The three nations are closely matched with 5 points taken in four disputed days. The duel between the Australians and the Saudis is therefore decisive to take the lead on the podium. To date, Tony Popovic's players fell against Bahrain (0-1), but were able to lock in a valuable draw against Japan (1-1) after disappointing against the modest Indonesian team (0-0) . But Hervé Renard wants to believe it: “ The situation is complicated since we have five points after four days, with six games remaining. Complicated, but not hopeless. It's an exciting challenge. If we succeed, I will continue, with my sights set on the Asian Nations Cup that the kingdom will organize in 2027. Otherwise, we will say goodbye. » On the one hand, Australia and its six participations in the World Cup which comes from a round of 16 in Qatar. On the other, Saudi Arabia and its dazzling development which will organize the 2034 World Cup.

Outsiders want to make history

In recent years, certain small Asian nations have been shining and working hard to develop their selection. Qatar, which organized and won the last Asian Nations Cup, is aiming for a second consecutive participation in a World Cup after having organized the last edition in 2022. The Al-Annabi are now coached by the Spaniard Tintín Márquez, after disappointing performances by the two Portuguese Bruno Pinheiro and Carlos Queiroz. For the past year, the former Al-Wakrah coach has put the Qatari selection back in the spotlight with 11 victories in 17 matches, all with a trophy quickly won. However, in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Qatar is struggling to restart the machine in this third round with 4 points in 4 days and missteps against North Korea (2-2) and the UAE (1 -3). And the upcoming schedule promises to be tense with meetings in the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. Moreover, the Turanians represent the team that is rising in Asia. They were in the final against Iran in the 2023 Central Asian Nations Cup and the U17s even lost against France in the U17 World Cup, as well as being finalists in the U23 Asian Cup against the young Japanese , which allowed the country to participate in the Olympic Games for the first time in its history.

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Uzbekistan continues to climb the ladder and their dream goal is now a place in the 2026 World Cup. Currently 2nd in their group behind Iran, they are in a good position. Among the other outsiders, Jordan wants to build on its very good performance in the 2023 Asian Cup of Nations where Al-Nashama fell in the final against Qatar. With two victories in 4 days, Jordan is still 2nd in its group, just ahead of the surprising Iraq. The Lions of Mesopotamia have the same number of points as Jordan. And besides, the two nations will cross swords during this international break and the meeting already promises to be very important for qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. We can also cite Bahrain which, carried by an enormous Mohamed Marhoon, can make a huge step forward for a historic qualification. Positioned in 4th position, the Dilmun Warriors have the same number of points as Australia and Saudi Arabia. A resounding feat is therefore possible and we will have to prove it over the coming days.