The third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup commenced with dramatic twists and turns. Group C saw Saudi Arabia face an unexpected challenge against Indonesia, struggling despite playing at home. Salem Al-Dawsari’s 79th-minute penalty was saved by Indonesia’s debutant goalkeeper Maarten Paes, highlighting the tough competition. Rangar Oratmangoen gave the Southeast Asians a surprise lead in the 19th minute with a deflected shot, but Musab Al-Juwayr equalized three minutes into first-half stoppage time.
In Group B, Iraq secured a 1-0 victory over Oman thanks to Aymen Hussein’s header, taking the lead in the group. Jordan and Kuwait, the other two teams in Group B, played out a 1-1 draw in Amman.
Meanwhile, in Group A, the UAE staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Qatar 3-1. Ibrahim Al-Hassan put Qatar ahead in the 38th minute, but the UAE fought back with goals from Harib Abdalla, Khaled Ibrahim, and Ali Saleh in the final quarter of the game, securing a victory over the back-to-back Asian Cup winners.
Iran, a six-time World Cup qualifier, secured a crucial 1-0 victory over visitors Kyrgyzstan thanks to Mehdi Taremi’s 34th-minute goal. Uzbekistan also claimed three points with Jaliloddin Marsharipov’s strike handing North Korea a 1-0 loss in Tashkent.
The top two teams from each of the three groups will advance directly to the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The third and fourth-placed teams will then enter another round of qualifying to determine the remaining Asian representatives for the global tournament.
