The third 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 a perfect record. They are also the only team to do this.
A 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on 10 October meant Japan extended their lead at the top of Group C to five points. Indonesia, who drew 2-2 with Bahrain, are currently fifth, but their unbeaten record so far is commendable.
In Group B, South Korea just won 2-0 against Jordan, continuing to move towards the goal of making their 11th consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals.
Closely following South Korea is Iraq 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 drew 0-0, sharing the top spot with 7 points.
World Cup 2022 host Qatar has only 4 points and is ranked 4th on the rankings.
According to the format of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Asia is given more than 8 places, of which: the first 6 official places are given 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.
