Qatar and Saudi Arabia will host the Asian qualifying play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, as confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Six teams, specifically the third and fourth-placed teams from the recent Asian third round of qualifying, will be split into two groups of three.
They will compete in a centralized format from October 8 to 14, 2025, according to an AFC statement released on Friday.
The winners of each group will earn the last two automatic spots for the World Cup.
The runners-up from each group will face off in two matches on November 13 and 18, with the victors moving on to the inter-confederation playoffs for a chance to qualify for the World Cup.
The third round of qualifying featured three groups of six teams, with the top two from each group automatically qualifying for the World Cup, filling six of the eight spots allocated to the AFC for the 2026 tournament.
The third and fourth-placed teams from each group advanced to this final qualifying round, vying for one of the few remaining World Cup spots.
The bottom two teams from each group were eliminated, with Palestine being the last team to see their hopes dashed after losing to Oman, who secured fourth place in Group B.
Japan was the first team to qualify for the tournament, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, after dominating Group C.
Australia also qualified from that group, finishing second with a final match victory over Saudi Arabia, who could have surpassed Australia with a win.
Jordan and Uzbekistan both secured second place in their respective groups, behind South Korea and Iraq, marking their first World Cup appearances.
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Qatar’s Akram Afif was named Player of the Tournament at the last AFC Asian Cup but will have to wait to see if he qualifies for the next FIFA World Cup.
The six teams still in contention for World Cup qualification are Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Qatar, the AFC Asian Cup champions and hosts of the 2022 World Cup, had a mixed qualifying campaign, finishing fourth in Group A, while the UAE took third.
Indonesia, aiming for only their second World Cup appearance, secured fourth place in Group C, overcoming a late challenge from China, who, along with Bahrain, failed to qualify for the next stage.
Saudi Arabia finished third in that group. Iraq and Oman ended up third and fourth, respectively, in Group B.
The next Asian Cup is scheduled for 2027, with Saudi Arabia set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
