Uzbekistan, Jordan make history in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup: AFC standings, upcoming fixtures, story so far

AFC World Cup qualification has now decided six of nations that will play at the finals held in the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer, with the big-hitters joining two debutants from a dramatic third round.

Iran, Japan and South Korea made little fuss of reaching the finals, while Australia also got the better of Saudi Arabia in a stacked Group C, but it is the stories of Uzbekistan and Jordan that will make headlines as they have both reached the finals for the first time.

Qualifying is far from over though, because six nations will reconvene in the autumn to decide the final two AFC nations that will take their place at the 2026 finals.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the state of play in AFC World Cup qualifying following the conclusion of the third round.

Group A standings:

1. (Q) Iran - 23pts (P10 W7 D2 L1 GD +11)

2. (Q) Uzbekistan - 21pts (P10 W6 D3 L1 GD +7)

3. (4R) United Arab Emirates - 15pts (P10 W4 D3 L3 GD +7)

4. (4R) Qatar - 13pts (P10 W4 D1 L5 GD -7)

5. (X) Kyrgyzstan - 8pts (P10 W2 D2 L6 GD -6)

6. (X) North Korea - 3pts (P10 W0 D3 L7 GD -12)

STORY OF GROUP A

Iran were never in any danger of missing out, and will now advance to the finals for the fourth time in a row, but they have been joined in Group A by Uzbekistan, who will make their competition debut, clinching a spot at the finals after drawing with UAE on matchday nine, and losing just once across qualifying.

2022 hosts Qatar will have to go through the fourth round if they want to feature at successive finals, after a very disappointing section which saw them take just one point from their five away games, against group whipping-boys North Korea, and UAE will join them in moving onto the next stage.

The road ends here for Kyrgyzstan and North Korea, who were both well off the pace, but will be happy to have gotten this far, which has at least clinched Asian Cup qualification for them both.

Group B standings:

1. (Q) South Korea - 22pts (P10 W6 D4 L0 GD +13)

2. (Q) Jordan - 16pts (P10 W4 D4 L2 GD +8)

3. (4R) Iraq - 15pts (P10 W4 D3 L3 GD 0)

4. (4R) Oman - 11pts (P10 W3 D2 L5 GD -5)

5. (X) Palestine - 10pts (P10 W2 D4 L4 GD -3)

6. (X) Kuwait - 5pts (P10 W0 D5 L5 GD -13)

STORY OF GROUP B 

In the weakest of the three groups, South Korea were never in any danger, and have advanced without losing a game, qualifying for a record-extending 11th straight World Cup for an Asian nation.

No matter who joined them in the top two, it was going to be a surprising qualifier, and that honour goes to Jordan, who held off brief competition from Iraq and Oman to book their spot at the finals for the first time, thanks to a 3-0 win away in Oman on matchday nine.

Iraq narrowly missed out and will move onto the fourth stage, along with Oman, who have sneaked in by the skin of their teeth, scoring a 97th-minute penalty in the final fixture when reduced to 10 men against Palestine to leapfrog them into fourth, and in doing so, keeping their hopes alive at their opponent's expense.

Group C standings:

1. (Q) Japan - 20pts (P10 W7 D2 L1 GD +27)

2. (Q) Australia - 19pts (P10 W5 D4 L1 GD +9)

3. (4R) Saudi Arabia - 13pts (P10 W3 D4 L3 GD -1)

4. (4R) Indonesia - 12pts (P10 W3 D3 L4 GD -11)

5. (X) China - 9pts (P10 W3 D0 L7 GD -13)

6. (X) Bahrain - 6pts (P10 W1 D3 L6 GD -11)

STORY OF GROUP C

Saudi Arabia made headlines at the 2022 finals for beating Argentina, but at an expanded finals for 2026, which has greatly benefited AFC with many more spots at the World Cup, they are in danger of missing out, after a dismal section that saw them take just 13 points from 10 games.

Minnows Indonesia finished just one behind them after taking four points off them, and a defeat at home to bottom-placed Bahrain was also costly for the Saudis, who finished behind Japan and Australia, who will both go to the World Cup yet again.

China's wait for success at international level will go on, after another failed qualification attempt, but they did at least beat Bahrain on matchday 10 to avoid finishing bottom of the group.

UPCOMING FIXTURES

The draw for the fourth round will take place on July 17, with the six teams remaining split into three pots.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia are top seeds, and will be most fancied to qualify, but pot-two sides Iraq and UAE will look to spoil the party, while Oman and Indonesia, the two lowest-ranked nations, will hope to cause a huge upset.

Written by
Andrew Delaney