Latest news with #AFCAsianQualifiers–Roadto26
Observer
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Oman hunting for historic maiden Fifa WC appearance
MUSCAT: As the highly anticipated draw for the Playoff Round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 approaches, the Oman national football team are preparing for a monumental opportunity to secure their first-ever qualification to the Fifa World Cup. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in a recent update on its official website, highlighted that Oman and Indonesia are the only two teams among the playoff contenders aiming to book a historic debut appearance at the Fifa World Cup. Meanwhile, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates will seek their second-ever qualification, and Qatar and Saudi Arabia will aim to make back-to-back appearances in the prestigious global event. The draw for the decisive stage of the Asian qualifiers for Fifa World Cup 2026 will take place on Thursday at 11:00 am (Oman time). Based on the latest Fifa Men's World Rankings published on June 13, Oman will be placed in Pot 3, alongside Indonesia. Qatar and Saudi Arabia, designated as host nations for the two playoff groups will occupy Pot 1 while Iraq and UAE teams are positioned in Pot 2. The playoff format will see the six teams split into two groups of three, with only the group winners progressing directly to the Fifa World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Each group will compete in a single round-robin format, hosted in centralised venues by the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, both of whom were confirmed as Host Member Associations last month. These Playoffs represent the final pathway for six Asian teams after they secured third or fourth place in their respective groups during the third round of AFC qualifiers. Oman, Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE will now battle for Asia's remaining two direct berths. The journey does not end for group runners-up, as they will face off in a two-legged knockout round scheduled for November 13 and 18. The winner of that matchup will advance to the Fifa Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament, where one final qualification spot will be contested globally. A separate draw will be held after the group stage to determine the home team for each leg of this knockout encounter. Oman's national team, led by head coach Rasheed Jaber, will head into the Playoffs with determination and national pride. By end of August, Oman team will take part in the CAFA (Central Asian Football Association) Nations League 2025, a friendly international tournament which is scheduled from August 26 to September 9, co-hosted by Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Oman has been drawn into Group A alongside hosts Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, while Group B featured Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Malaysia. Attendance in this friendly event is part of the team's ahead of the main assignment in Asian qualifiers – Roard to 26.
Qatar Living
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Living
Qatar, Saudi Arabia to host AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoffs
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially announced that the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation will serve as the Host Member Associations for the upcoming AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoffs. The AFC, in an official statement, added that six teams — the third and fourth-placed sides from the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26, namely Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — will be divided into two groups of three teams. These teams will compete in a centralised format competition from October 8 to 14, with the two group winners securing the remaining automatic berths at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Subsequently, the runners-up from each group will face off in a two-legged AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoffs Knockout Stage on November 13 and 18, with the winner advancing to the FIFA Play-off Tournament. The official draw is scheduled to be held on July 17. --- Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content. Instagram - @qatarliving X - @qatarliving Facebook - Qatar Living YouTube - qatarlivingofficial
Gulf Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Kyrgyzstan hold UAE, Japan and South Korea celebrate WC qualification with big wins
Kyrgyzstan's never-say-die attitude saw them grab a last-gasp goal to hold UAE to a 1-1 draw in their AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Group A tie on Tuesday. Kyrgyzstan's late salvo at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium saw them end their campaign on eight points while Cosmin Olaroiu continues to wait for his first win as UAE head coach with his side finishing on 15 points. With UAE's progress to the playoffs and Kyrgyzstan's elimination already decided going into the match, the game saw a cagey start before the visitors stole into the lead at the half hour mark. Valerii Kichin was dispossessed by Luanzinho at the halfway line, with the UAE midfielder driving forward before laying the ball off for Harib Abdalla to strike home past the advancing Erzhan Tokotaev. Abdalla was once again put through in the 41st minute but this time Tokotaev was quicker to react, forcing the forward to drag his shot wide. Deep into first half added time, Kichin went close to making amends for his earlier error when he produced a low shot from distance that UAE custodian Ali Al Hosani reacted well to push onto the box. Kyrgyzstan emerged after the interval a different side as they looked to put more pressure on the UAE defence. Ermek Kenzhenbaev's attempt from distance took multiple deflections and was easily claimed by Al Hosani before Joel Kojo set up Kimi Merk inside the box, only for the latter to crash his shot against a UAE defender. With 10 minutes of regulation time remaining, Kojo had a close range header caught by Al Hosani but Kyrgyzstan fought until the very end, eventually finding the equaliser through Kai Merk in stoppage time. Uzbekistan closed their campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Qatar. Timur Kapadze's men, who have already booked their spot in their first FIFA World Cup Finals, finished with 21 points from 10 matches. Qatar will have to navigate the playoffs, where two additional places at next year's global showpiece are up for grabs. The West Asians finished fourth in Group A with 13 points. Uzbekistan dominated Qatar after a slow start, with early chances from Amro Syrag, Husniddin Aliqulov, and Eldor Shomurodov. The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Azizbek Turgunboev beat two defenders and blasted a shot in off the bar, leaving Salah Zakaria helpless. Shomurodov and Jaloliddin Masharipov kept Qatar under pressure, with Masharipov nearly scoring after the break. Zakaria made several key saves, including denying Khojiakbar Alijonov in the 63rd minute. Shomurodov doubled the lead in the 86th minute, controlling a long pass and finishing clinically. Igor Sergeev sealed the 3–0 win in stoppage time with a close-range header shortly after coming on. Zakaria's efforts in goal kept the score respectable for Qatar. Elsewhere, Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice for Japan and Paris Saint Germain's Lee Kang-in netted for South Korea as the Asian giants rounded off successful World Cup qualifying campaigns in style. Japan romped to a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka, while South Korea cruised to a 4-0 win over Kuwait in Seoul where fans were treated to a late appearance by their idol Son Heung-min. FA Cup winner Kamada struck twice in the first half for already qualified Japan, who finished as Group C winners. Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, who came fourth in the group and moved on to a further qualifying round. Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has set the ambitious target of winning next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Moriyasu said his players need to keep improving 'in all departments' and praised their attitude against Indonesia. 'The challenge for the players is to break past their limits and grow,' he said. Wang Yudong's 90th-minute penalty enabled already eliminated China to avoid finishing bottom of Group C with a consolation 1-0 win over Bahrain in Chongqing.
Dubai Eye
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
UAE held by Kyrgyzstan in World Cup qualifier
Kyrgyzstan's never-say-die attitude saw them grab a last-gasp goal to hold the UAE to a 1-1 draw in their AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Group A clash on Tuesday. The late salvo at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek saw Kyrgyzstan end their campaign on eight points while Cosmin Olaroiu continues to wait for his first win as UAE head coach with his side finishing on 15 points. The result qualifies the UAE for the AFC play-offs in October that lead to the World Cup. With the UAE's progress to the playoffs and Kyrgyzstan's elimination already decided going into the match, the game saw a cagey start before the visitors stole into the lead at the half hour mark. The UAE's goal was scored by Harib Abdullah, while Kai Merk scored for Kyrgyzstan in the 90+5 minute. In another match within the same group, Uzbekistan closed their campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Qatar. Timur Kapadze's men, who have already booked their spot in their first FIFA World Cup, finished with 21 points from 10 matches. Qatar finished fourth in Group A with 13 points, also qualifying for the AFC play-offs.
Saudi Gazette
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia face uphill task against Australia in World Cup qualifier
Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia must deliver a miracle on Tuesday if they are to secure direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, needing to beat Australia by at least five goals in their final Group C fixture of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26. Herve Renard's men kept their hopes alive with a 2-0 win over Bahrain last week, moving to 13 points — three behind second-placed Australia. But with a goal difference heavily in the Socceroos' favor, only a lopsided victory will be enough to leapfrog them in the standings. 'The door is almost closed, but we must try and qualify,' Renard said after the Bahrain match. 'We have to score goals. Everything must go very well for us if we are to qualify.' Saudi Arabia's biggest challenge remains their scoring inefficiency. They've managed just six goals across nine qualifiers, while Australia have netted 14 and conceded six in the same stretch. Australia, under new coach Tony Popovic, only need to avoid a five-goal defeat to book their seventh straight World Cup appearance. Popovic replaced Graham Arnold in September after a poor start to the campaign and has since overseen a dramatic turnaround. 'We're in a great position, but we need to finish it off,' Popovic said. 'It's been a really intense period, but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do.' Group leaders Japan have already secured top spot. If Saudi Arabia fail to pull off the required win, they will join the likes of UAE, Qatar, Iraq, and Indonesia in the next round of qualifiers in October, where two additional spots for Asia will be contested. The Saudis now face their most daunting test yet. Only a performance of historic proportions against Australia in Jeddah will keep their direct World Cup dreams alive.
