In the 7th match of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, Japan won 2-0 against Bahrain. This result helped the team from the land of the rising sun get 19 points, far surpassing their chasing opponents, Australia (10 points), and Saudi Arabia (9 points).
According to the regulations, the top 2 teams in each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. With the team ranked 3rd to 10 points ahead while the 3rd qualifying round has only 3 matches left, the Japanese team is sure to be in the top 2 of the group, thereby qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The ticket to the next round in this group is a competition between the remaining 5 teams. However, the advantage is currently shared by Australia and Saudi Arabia - two teams with strong strengths in the continent.
Meanwhile, the 1-5 loss to Australia made it difficult for the Indonesian team. The decision to bring Patrick Kluivert to replace Shin Tae-yong did not bring the expected results.
In the 8th match taking place on March 25, the Indonesian team will host Bahrain at home. Meanwhile, Japan will meet Saudi Arabia, while China will meet Australia.
In Group A, Iran is also getting closer to qualifying for the World Cup when they beat the UAE 2-0. This result helped Iran have 19 points, firmly at the top of the table, better than the teams behind them, Uzbekistan (16 points), the UAE and Qatar (10 points each).
In the next match, Iran will meet Uzbekistan. If they do not lose, Iran will definitely be in the top 2 of the group, thereby getting a ticket to the World Cup. This possibility is very likely to happen, because the Iranian team has strong strength and has not lost since the beginning of the 3rd qualifying round.
In Group B, the Korean team drew 1-1 with Oman but still led with 15 points. After them are Jordan and Iraq with 12 points each. The dispute over 2 direct tickets to the 2026 World Cup will revolve around these 3 teams.
In the 8th match, the Korean team will host Jordan at home. If they defeat this opponent, the Korean team will book a ticket to the US, Canada and Mexico next year. In the first leg, the Korean team beat the Jordan team 2-0 away.
