The 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia is taking place with exciting developments. After 3 matches, Japan is the most impressive team with an all-win record. They are also the only team to do this.
A 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on October 10 means that Japan has widened the gap to 5 points at the top of Group C. Indonesia with a 2-2 draw with Bahrain currently in 5th place, but their unbeaten record so far is very commendable.
In Group B, South Korea just won 2-0 against Jordan, continuing to move towards the goal of making their 11th consecutive appearance in the FIFA World Cup finals.
Iraq followed South Korea with 7 points. This group is quite unpredictable as all teams have points after 3 matches, with a small gap.
In Group A, Uzbekistan and Iran are tied at 0-0, sharing the top spot with 7 points.
Home country Qatar has only 4 points at the 2022 World Cup and is 4th in the rankings.
According to the format of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Asia will be awarded more than 8 places, of which: The first 6 official places will be awarded to the 6 teams that finish first and second in the group in the 3rd qualifying round.
The 6 teams ranked 3rd and 4th will continue to participate in the 4th qualifying round to compete for 2 official tickets.
