Doha, Qatar: The path to the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 has been officially laid out following the draw ceremony held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The reigning champions, Qatar will be up against India, Kuwait and the winner of the of the Round 1 tie between Afghanistan and Mongolia as a total of 36 national sides are set to vie for spots beyond the Group Stage.
The teams have been allocated into nine groups, each consisting of four teams.
These teams will engage in a thrilling home-and-away round-robin format, taking place between November 2023 and June 2024.
The excitement mounts as another set of low-ranked teams compete for 10 group stage spots from Preliminary Joint Qualification.
Yesterday’s draw ceremony also placed Japan, Syria, North Korea and Myanmar/Macau in Group B, while South Korea led the Group C cast with China, Thailand and Singapore/Guam also in the fray while Group D saw Oman, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei/Timor-Leste drawn together.
Group E will see Islamic Republic of Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Hong Kong (China)/Bhutan vying to advance to the next round with Iraq, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia/Brunei Darussalam the Group F sides.
Group G consists of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tajikistan and Cambodia/Pakistan while Group H will see United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen/Sri Lanka and Nepal/Laos tussling for the two berths. Australia, Palestine, Lebanon and Maldives/Bangladesh are the Group I cast.
All nine group winners and the respective runners-up will advance to the third round of World Cup qualifying, and at the same time seal their places at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
In a historic move, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will witness a record 48 teams competing on the global stage.
This expansion has opened up the opportunity for Asia’s national teams to claim eight and a half slots, elevating the significance of the qualification journey for the Continent.
The draw for the third round of the global showpiece will be conducted in 2024, where the 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six; the top two from each group will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The other two direct AFC entrants will be determined in the fourth round of World Cup qualifying, with one more possible berth available via an Intercontinental Playoff.
The other 18 teams from Round 2 will proceed directly to the third and final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifying.
