Third round cast finalised

Wed, 12 Jun, 2024

Third round cast finalised

Kuala Lumpur: The Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ concluded on Tuesday with five teams joining 13 others in the next stage.

Kuwait (Group A), DPR Korea (Group B), China PR (Group C), Kyrgyz Republic (Group D) and Indonesia (Group F) were the final five sides to book their spots in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and confirm their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals after Matchday Six. 

Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic and Palestine will be making their debuts in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. 

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Round 2 - MD6: Results & Reports

Wed, 12 Jun, 2024

Round 2 - MD6: Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: The Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ concluded on Tuesday with five teams booking their spots.

Kuwait (Group A), DPR Korea (Group B), China PR (Group C), Kyrgyz Republic (Group D) and Indonesia (Group F) joined Korea Republic, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Palestine, Qatar, Japan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Australia in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals.

Stay updated on all the reaction with the-AFC.com.

Group A: Late strike confirms Kuwait's spot

Wed, 12 Jun, 2024

Group A: Late strike confirms Kuwait's spot

Kuwait City: Eid Al Rashedi struck an 81st minute winner as Kuwait edged Afghanistan 1-0 in Group A of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Tuesday. 

The result meant Kuwait finished on seven points to advance to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and book their ticket to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, with India missing out after a 2-1 defeat to Qatar.  

Group B: DPR Korea power past Myanmar to advance

Tue, 11 Jun, 2024

Group B: DPR Korea power past Myanmar to advance

Vientiane: A hat-trick from Ri Jo Guk guided a dominant DPR Korea to a 4-1 victory over Myanmar in their Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 Group B match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ at the Lao National Stadium, Vientiane on Tuesday.

The victory ensured DPR Korea’s entry to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and confirmed to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals as they finished second with nine points behind group winners Japan.

Group C: China PR through despite defeat to Korea Republic

Tue, 11 Jun, 2024

Group C: China PR through despite defeat to Korea Republic

Seoul: A Lee Kang-in goal saw Korea Republic defeat China PR 1-0 on Tuesday and conclude their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ campaign with an unbeaten record atop of Group C.

After a goalless first half of few chances, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee put the Taegeuk Warriors in front on 61 minutes to seal a victory with a scoreline that, in truth, did not reflect their near complete dominance of proceedings at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

China, meanwhile, joined Korea Republic in the next stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and confirmed their ticket to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals by the slimmest of margins - finishing ahead of Thailand on the head-to-head ratio after both sides concluded their respective campaigns with eight points and identical goal margins.

Group D: Oman rally to finish top

Wed, 12 Jun, 2024

Group D: Oman rally to finish top

Muscat: Kyrgyz Republic confirmed their place at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ and a berth in the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a 1-1 draw in Muscat against table-toppers Oman on Tuesday ensured a second-place finish in Group D.

The result means Kyrgyz Republic finish a point ahead of Malaysia, who defeated Chinese Taipei earlier on Tuesday to retain a mathematical chance of climbing above Stefan Tarkovic’s side and into the runners-up slot.

Eldiyar Zarypbekov gave the visitors the lead in the 19th minute but Abdul Aziz Khalfan levelled 12 minutes into the second half to ensure the points were shared with Oman winning the group.

Group F: Iraq too strong for Vietnam

Wed, 12 Jun, 2024

Group F: Iraq too strong for Vietnam

Basra: Iraq completed their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group F campaign with a perfect record after defeating Vietnam 3-1 on Tuesday. 

Their dream campaign is a boost for the West Asian side as they look to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals for a second time. 

For Vietnam, it was a disappointing end as they finished third in the group behind regional rivals Indonesia, who defeated the Philippines 2-0 to book their spot.

Group G: Jordan stun Saudi Arabia

Wed, 12 Jun, 2024

Group G: Jordan stun Saudi Arabia

Riyadh: Jordan came from behind to defeat Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the final match of Group G of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ at Al Awwal Park on Tuesday.

While both teams had already advanced to the next round, Jordan’s victory meant they overtook their Matchday Six opponents into the top spot of Group G thanks to a superior goal-difference with both teams level on 13 points.