2026 World Cup Qualification Heats Up as Asia’s Top Teams Battle for Spots

The journey to the 2026 World Cup intensifies as Asia’s top football teams prepare for the third round of qualifiers. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the stakes are higher than ever for the 18 remaining Asian sides, divided into three groups of six. Each team will face home and away fixtures, with the top two from each group securing a coveted spot in the World Cup, set to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

South Korea, led by their star player Son Heung-Min, is eager to start strong against Palestine in Seoul, despite a tumultuous year marked by multiple coaching changes. The Koreans, aiming for their 12th World Cup appearance, will also feature young talent Yang Min-hyeok, who will join Tottenham Hotspur in January. Meanwhile, Palestine, under Tunisian coach Makram Daboub, enters this stage of qualifying for the first time, despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

In Group A, reigning Asian champions Qatar, who also hosted the 2022 World Cup, will face the United Arab Emirates, with Qatar and Iran being the favorites to advance from a group that also includes Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.

Group C promises to be more competitive, with Japan hosting China and Australia taking on Bahrain. Japan, the highest-ranked Asian team, is in top form, especially with Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma back from injury. However, China’s coach Branko Ivankovic has warned that his team will not go down without a fight when they meet Japan in Saitama.

The third round of Asian qualifiers wraps up in June, with teams finishing third and fourth in their groups still having a chance to qualify through the fourth round. South Korea’s historic run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup remains the best performance by an Asian team, and the region’s top sides are eager to replicate or surpass that achievement in 2026.