The draw for the fourth round of AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been made in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The draw for the fourth round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has revealed the fate of the final six teams from the continent vying for a place at next summer’s 48-team expanded edition.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the back-to-back AFC Cup winners, had already secured home advantage for the next round of qualifiers before Thursday’s draw, which was made at AFC House, the headquarters of the football governing body on the continent, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
media Sport takes a look at what comes next for the AFC nations that remain part of the qualifying process.
Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq, and Oman all missed out on qualification from the third round of AFC qualifiers but have progressed to the latest stage.
Two more AFC teams will directly join the six that had already qualified in the third round for the World Cup.
One intercontinental playoffs spot will still be available beyond the fourth round of qualifiers.
Two round-robin groups will result in the top team from each taking Asia’s last two remaining automatic spots.
Qatar will host Group A, which also contains the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Indonesia will then play Graham Arnold’s Iraq on October 11 before the Saudis and Iraq face-off on October 14.
Group B is hosted by Qatar, organisers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but who have never qualified for the finals. They will take on Oman in their first game on October 8.
UAE will face the Omanis on October 11, with Qatar and the UAE meeting on October 14.
The teams that finish second in the round-robin groups in the fourth round of AFC qualifiers will meet in a playoff over two legs, home and away, in November.
The winner of that match progresses to intercontinental playoffs for the final 2026 FIFA World Cup place, which are scheduled for March 2026.
Which AFC teams can still qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Six teams from Asia secured qualification last month from the third round of qualifiers by finishing in the top two of the three groups at that stage.
Japan, Iran, South Korea and Australia have all participated numerous times, while Jordan and Uzbekistan will be making their first appearance.
The United States, Canada and Mexico are jointly hosting the next edition of FIFA’s showpiece international event.
The tournament begins in Mexico City on June 11 and ends with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
