2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round

Tournament details
Dates	5 September 2024 – 10 June 2025
Teams	18 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	90
Goals scored	231 (2.57 per match)
Attendance	2,581,626 (28,685 per match)
Top scorer(s)	6 players (5 goals each)
← 2022 2030→

The third round of AFC matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 5 September 2024 to 10 June 2025. ^[1]

Format

The 18 teams that advanced from the second round (nine group winners and nine group runners-up) were divided into three groups of six teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams of each group qualified directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams advanced to the fourth round. ^[2]

Qualified teams

The following teams finished first or second in their respective second round groups: ^[3]

•   Australia
•   Bahrain
•   China
•   Indonesia
•   Iran
•   Iraq
•   Japan
•   Jordan
•   Kuwait
•   Kyrgyzstan
•   North Korea
•   Oman
•   Palestine
•   Qatar
•   Saudi Arabia
•   South Korea
•   United Arab Emirates
•   Uzbekistan

Draw

The draw for the third round was held on 27 June 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ^[3]

The seeding for the draw was based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings on 20 June 2024 (shown in parentheses below). ^[4]

Each group contained one team from each of the six pots. The draw started with Pot 6 and concluded with Pot 1, with each team drawn being placed in the corresponding position sequentially in Group A, then B, then C. ^[5]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3
Japan (17)   Iran (20)   South Korea (22)	Australia (23)   Qatar (35)   Iraq (55)	Saudi Arabia (56)   Uzbekistan (62)   Jordan (68)
Pot 4	Pot 5	Pot 6
United Arab Emirates (69)   Oman (76)   Bahrain (81)	China (88)   Palestine (95)   Kyrgyzstan (101)	North Korea (110)   Indonesia (134)   Kuwait (137)

Note: Bold indicates team qualified for the World Cup. Italics indicates the team advanced to the fourth round.

Schedule

The competition schedule was as follows: ^{[1] [6]}

Matchday	Date
Matchday 1	5 September 2024
Matchday 2	10 September 2024
Matchday 3	10 October 2024
Matchday 4	15 October 2024
Matchday 5	14–15 November 2024
Matchday 6	19 November 2024
Matchday 7	20 March 2025
Matchday 8	25 March 2025
Matchday 9	5 June 2025
Matchday 10	10 June 2025

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iran	10	7	2	1	19	8	+11	23	2026 FIFA World Cup		—	2–2	2–0	4–1	1–0	3–0
2	Uzbekistan	10	6	3	1	14	7	+7	21			0–0	—	1–0	3–0	1–0	1–0
3	United Arab Emirates	10	4	3	3	15	8	+7	15	Fourth round		0–1	0–0	—	5–0	3–0	1–1
4	Qatar	10	4	1	5	17	24	−7	13			1–0	3–2	1–3	—	3–1	5–1
5	Kyrgyzstan	10	2	2	6	12	18	−6	8			2–3	2–3	1–1	3–1	—	1–0
6	North Korea	10	0	3	7	9	21	−12	3			2–3	0–1	1–2	2–2	2–2	—

Source: AFC, FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

19:00  UTC+5

Uzbekistan	1–0	North Korea
Masharipov 20'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Milliy Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 24,205

Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

19:30  UTC+3:30

Iran	1–0	Kyrgyzstan
Taremi 34'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Fuladshahr Stadium, Fuladshahr

Attendance: 12,077

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

19:00  UTC+3

Qatar	1–3	United Arab Emirates
Al-Hassan 38'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Abdalla 68' Ibrahim 80' Saleh 90+4'

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 33,952

Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

---

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

19:00  UTC+7

North Korea	2–2	Qatar
Ri Il-song 19' Kang Kuk-chol 52'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Afif 31' (pen.) Ali 44'

New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane (Laos) ^{[note 1]}

Attendance: 140

Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

20:00  UTC+6

Kyrgyzstan	2–3	Uzbekistan
Kojo 15' Abdurakhmanov 35'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Shomurodov 17' Aliqulov 45' Urunov 72'

Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 13,282

Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

20:00  UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	0–1	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ghayedi 45+3'

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 17,826

Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

---

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

19:00  UTC+5

Uzbekistan	0–0	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Milliy Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 33,829

Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

19:00  UTC+3

Qatar	3–1	Kyrgyzstan
Ali 39' Kozubaev 63' (o.g.) Al-Hassan 81'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Shukurov 76'

Al Thumama Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 25,195

Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

20:00  UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	1–1	North Korea
Al-Ghassani 66'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Jong Il-gwan 86'

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 8,536

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

---

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

19:00  UTC+5

Uzbekistan	1–0	United Arab Emirates
Shukurov 76' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Milliy Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 32,773

Referee: Ma Ning (China)

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

20:00  UTC+6

Kyrgyzstan	1–0	North Korea
Brauzman 11'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 9,769

Referee: Khaled Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

20:00  UTC+4

Iran	4–1	Qatar
Azmoun 42', 48' Mohebi 65' Mohammad 90+8' (o.g.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ali 17'

Rashid Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates) ^{[note 2]}

Attendance: 7,890

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

---

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

19:00  UTC+7

North Korea	2–3	Iran
Taremi 56' (o.g.) Kim Yu-song 59'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ghayedi 29' Mohebi 41', 45'

New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane (Laos) ^{[note 1]}

Attendance: 100

Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

19:15  UTC+3

Qatar	3–2	Uzbekistan
Ali 25', 41' Mendes 90+12'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Fayzullaev 75', 80'

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 10,759

Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

20:15  UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	3–0	Kyrgyzstan
Abdalla 15', 89' Meloni 35'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 6,238

Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

---

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

19:00  UTC+7

North Korea	0–1	Uzbekistan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Fayzullaev 44'

New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane (Laos) ^{[note 1]}

Attendance: 166

Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

20:00  UTC+6

Kyrgyzstan	2–3	Iran
Kojo 51', 64' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Taremi 12' Hardani 33' Azmoun 76'

Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 10,021

Referee: Ma Ning (China)

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

20:00  UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	5–0	Qatar
Lima 4', 45' (pen.), 45+5', 56' (pen.) Al-Ghassani 73'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 13,825

Referee: Khalid Saleh Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

---

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

21:00  UTC+5

Uzbekistan	1–0	Kyrgyzstan
Alijonov 40'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Milliy Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 32,458

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

19:30  UTC+3:30

Iran	2–0	United Arab Emirates
Azmoun 45+27' Mohebi 70'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Azadi Stadium, Tehran

Attendance: 20,469

Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

21:15  UTC+3

Qatar	5–1	North Korea
Afif 17' Al Ganehi 23' Kim Yu-song 34' (o.g.) Al-Rawi 56' Alaaeldin 66'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Pak Kwang-hun 86'

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 10,375

Referee: Mohanad Qasim Sarray (Iraq)

---

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:45  UTC+6

Kyrgyzstan	3–1	Qatar
Kichin 45+1' Mishchenko 82' Shukurov 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Mendes 52'

Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 12,325

Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:30  UTC+3:30

Iran	2–2	Uzbekistan
Taremi 52', 83'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Erkinov 16' Fayzullaev 53'

Azadi Stadium, Tehran

Attendance: 36,702

Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

21:15  UTC+3

North Korea	1–2	United Arab Emirates
Kim Yu-song 43'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Lima 5' Adil 90+8'

Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) ^{[note 3]}

Attendance: 223

Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

---

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

20:00  UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	0–0	Uzbekistan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 9,820

Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

21:15  UTC+3

Qatar	1–0	Iran
Pedro Miguel 41'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 8,925

Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

21:15  UTC+3

North Korea	2–2	Kyrgyzstan
Pak Kwang-hun 44' Ri Jo-guk 52'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Alykulov 57' Kim Sung-hye 90+5' (o.g.)

Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) ^{[note 3]}

Attendance: 100

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

18:45  UTC+5

Uzbekistan	3–0	Qatar
Turgunboev 28' Shomurodov 86' Sergeev 90+2'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Milliy Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 32,931

Referee: Ma Ning (China)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:45  UTC+6

Kyrgyzstan	1–1	United Arab Emirates
Merk 90+5'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Abdalla 30'

Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 12,258

Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:30  UTC+3:30

Iran	3–0	North Korea
Mehdi Mohebi 74' Taremi 77' Hosseinzadeh 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Azadi Stadium, Tehran

Attendance: 16,803

Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	South Korea	10	6	4	0	20	7	+13	22	2026 FIFA World Cup		—	1–1	3–2	1–1	0–0	4–0
2	Jordan	10	4	4	2	16	8	+8	16			0–2	—	0–1	4–0	3–1	1–1
3	Iraq	10	4	3	3	9	9	0	15	Fourth round		0–2	0–0	—	1–0	1–0	2–2
4	Oman	10	3	2	5	9	14	−5	11			1–3	0–3	0–1	—	1–0	4–0
5	Palestine	10	2	4	4	10	13	−3	10			1–1	1–3	2–1	1–1	—	2–2
6	Kuwait	10	0	5	5	7	20	−13	5			1–3	1–1	0–0	0–1	0–2	—

Source: AFC, FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

20:00  UTC+9

South Korea	0–0	Palestine
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul

Attendance: 59,579

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Australia)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

19:00  UTC+3

Iraq	1–0	Oman
Hussein 13'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Basra International Stadium, Basra

Attendance: 63,720

Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

21:00  UTC+3

Jordan	1–1	Kuwait
Al-Taamari 14'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Nasser 90+2' (pen.)

Amman International Stadium, Amman

Attendance: 13,555

Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

---

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

22:00  UTC+8

Palestine	1–3	Jordan
Abou Ali 41'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Naimat 5', 50' Al-Rawabdeh 72'

Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 3,012

Referee: Majed Al-Shamrani (Saudi Arabia)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

18:00  UTC+4

Oman	1–3	South Korea
Jung Seung-hyun 45+2' (o.g.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Hwang Hee-chan 10' Son Heung-min 82' Joo Min-kyu 90+11'

Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat

Attendance: 27,144

Referee: Ma Ning (China)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

21:00  UTC+3

Kuwait	0–0	Iraq
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City

Attendance: 58,000

Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

---

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

17:00  UTC+3

Jordan	0–2	South Korea
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Lee Jae-sung 38' Oh Hyeon-gyu 68'

Amman International Stadium, Amman

Attendance: 14,655

Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

20:00  UTC+4

Oman	4–0	Kuwait
Al-Mushaifri 17', 58' Al-Ghassani 30' Fawaz 79'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat

Attendance: 25,891

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Australia)

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

21:00  UTC+3

Iraq	1–0	Palestine
Hussein 31'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Basra International Stadium, Basra

Attendance: 44,773

Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

---

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

20:00  UTC+9

South Korea	3–2	Iraq
Oh Se-hun 41' Oh Hyeon-gyu 74' Lee Jae-sung 83'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Hussein 50' Bayesh 90+5'

Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin

Attendance: 35,198

Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

19:00  UTC+3

Jordan	4–0	Oman
Al-Naimat 26', 54' Olwan 49' (pen.), 87'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Amman International Stadium, Amman

Attendance: 14,515

Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

19:00  UTC+3

Palestine	2–2	Kuwait
Abou Ali 41' (pen.) Qunbar 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Nasser 31' (pen.), 80'

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha (Qatar) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 1,827

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

---

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

17:00  UTC+3

Kuwait	1–3	South Korea
Daham 60'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Oh Se-hun 10' Son Heung-min 19' (pen.) Bae Jun-ho 74'

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City

Attendance: 22,791

Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

20:00  UTC+4

Oman	1–0	Palestine
Al-Ghassani 83'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat

Attendance: 21,754

Referee: Fu Ming (China)

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

19:15  UTC+3

Iraq	0–0	Jordan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Basra International Stadium, Basra

Attendance: 65,000

Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

---

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

17:00  UTC+3

Palestine	1–1	South Korea
Qunbar 12'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Son Heung-min 16'

Amman International Stadium, Amman (Jordan) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 2,405

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

20:00  UTC+4

Oman	0–1	Iraq
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Amyn 36'

Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat

Attendance: 26,377

Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

21:15  UTC+3

Kuwait	1–1	Jordan
Daham 68'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Naimat 21'

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City

Attendance: 29,400

Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

---

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

20:00  UTC+9

South Korea	1–1	Oman
Hwang Hee-chan 41'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Busaidi 80'

Goyang Stadium, Goyang

Attendance: 35,212

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Australia)

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

21:15  UTC+3

Iraq	2–2	Kuwait
Hashim 90+3' Bayesh 90+11'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Nasser 39', 70'

Basra International Stadium, Basra

Attendance: 45,851

Referee: Ma Ning (China)

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

21:15  UTC+3

Jordan	3–1	Palestine
Al-Arab 3' Nasib 11' Al-Taamari 45+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Seyam 33'

Amman International Stadium, Amman

Attendance: 9,555

Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

---

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

20:00  UTC+9

South Korea	1–1	Jordan
Lee Jae-sung 5'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Kwon Kyung-won 30' (o.g.)

Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon

Attendance: 41,532

Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

21:15  UTC+3

Palestine	2–1	Iraq
Abou Ali 88' Mahajna 90+7'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Hussein 34'

Amman International Stadium, Amman (Jordan) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 7,305

Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

21:15  UTC+3

Kuwait	0–1	Oman
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Sabhi 56'

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City

Attendance: 41,322

Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

---

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

20:00  UTC+4

Oman	0–3	Jordan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Olwan 45+7' (pen.), 51', 64'

Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat

Attendance: 13,878

Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

21:15  UTC+3

Iraq	0–2	South Korea
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Kim Jin-gyu 63' Oh Hyeon-gyu 82'

Basra International Stadium, Basra

Attendance: 55,972

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

21:15  UTC+3

Kuwait	0–2	Palestine
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Seyam 32' Abou Ali 88' (pen.)

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City

Attendance: 5,250

Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

20:00  UTC+9

South Korea	4–0	Kuwait
Al Hajeri 30' (o.g.) Lee Kang-in 51' Oh Hyeon-gyu 54' Lee Jae-sung 72'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul

Attendance: 41,119

Referee: Majed Al-Shamrani (Saudi Arabia)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

21:15  UTC+3

Jordan	0–1	Iraq
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Sajjad 73'

Amman International Stadium, Amman

Attendance: 15,502

Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

21:15  UTC+3

Palestine	1–1	Oman
Kharoub 49'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Sabhi 90+7' (pen.)

King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman (Jordan) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 8,500

Referee: Mooud Bonyadifard (Iran)

Group C

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Japan	10	7	2	1	30	3	+27	23	2026 FIFA World Cup		—	1–1	0–0	6–0	7–0	2–0
2	Australia	10	5	4	1	16	7	+9	19			1–0	—	0–0	5–1	3–1	0–1
3	Saudi Arabia	10	3	4	3	7	8	−1	13	Fourth round		0–2	1–2	—	1–1	1–0	0–0
4	Indonesia	10	3	3	4	9	20	−11	12			0–4	0–0	2–0	—	1–0	1–0
5	China	10	3	0	7	7	20	−13	9			1–3	0–2	1–2	2–1	—	1–0
6	Bahrain	10	1	3	6	5	16	−11	6			0–5	2–2	0–2	2–2	0–1	—

Source: AFC, FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

20:10  UTC+10

Australia	0–1	Bahrain
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Souttar 89' (o.g.)

Robina Stadium, Gold Coast

Attendance: 24,644

Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

19:35  UTC+9

Japan	7–0	China
Endo 12' Mitoma 45+2' Minamino 52', 58' Itō 77' Maeda 87' Kubo 90+5'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Attendance: 52,398

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

5 September 2024 (2024-09-05)

21:00  UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	1–1	Indonesia
Al-Juwayr 45+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Walsh 19'

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 42,385

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

---

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

19:00  UTC+7

Indonesia	0–0	Australia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta

Attendance: 70,059

Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

20:00  UTC+8

China	1–2	Saudi Arabia
Lajami 14' (o.g.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Kadesh 39', 90'

Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, Dalian

Attendance: 48,628

Referee: Nasrullo Kabirov (Tajikistan)

10 September 2024 (2024-09-10)

19:00  UTC+3

Bahrain	0–5	Japan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ueda 37' (pen.), 47' Morita 61', 64' Ogawa 81'

Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa

Attendance: 22,729

Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

---

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

19:40  UTC+10:30

Australia	3–1	China
Miller 45+2' Goodwin 53' Velupillay 90+2'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Xie Wenneng 20'

Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Attendance: 46,219

Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

19:00  UTC+3

Bahrain	2–2	Indonesia
Marhoon 15', 90+9'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Oratmangoen 45+3' Struick 74'

Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa

Attendance: 10,731

Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

10 October 2024 (2024-10-10)

21:00  UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	0–2	Japan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Kamada 14' Ogawa 81'

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 56,283

Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

---

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

19:35  UTC+9 ^{[note 5]}

Japan	1–1	Australia
Burgess 76' (o.g.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Taniguchi 58' (o.g.)

Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama ^{[note 5]}

Attendance: 58,730

Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

20:00  UTC+8

China	2–1	Indonesia
Behram 21' Zhang Yuning 44'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Haye 86'

Qingdao Youth Football Stadium, Qingdao

Attendance: 37,133

Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

15 October 2024 (2024-10-15)

21:00  UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	0–0	Bahrain
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 35,437

Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

---

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

20:10  UTC+11

Australia	0–0	Saudi Arabia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne

Attendance: 27,491

Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

14 November 2024 (2024-11-14)

17:00  UTC+3

Bahrain	0–1	China
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Zhang Yuning 90+1'

Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa

Attendance: 7,921

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

15 November 2024 (2024-11-15)

19:00  UTC+7

Indonesia	0–4	Japan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Hubner 35' (o.g.) Minamino 40' Morita 49' Sugawara 69'

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta

Attendance: 60,304

Referee: Mooud Bonyadifard (Iran)

---

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

20:00  UTC+8

China	1–3	Japan
Lin Liangming 48'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ogawa 39', 54' Itakura 45+6'

Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen

Attendance: 45,336

Referee: Muhammad Taqi bin Jahari (Singapore)

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

19:00  UTC+7

Indonesia	2–0	Saudi Arabia
Marselino 32', 57'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta

Attendance: 55,970

Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)

18:15  UTC+3

Bahrain	2–2	Australia
Abduljabbar 75', 77'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Yengi 1', 90+6'

Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa

Attendance: 6,873

Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

---

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

20:10  UTC+11

Australia	5–1	Indonesia
Boyle 18' (pen.) Velupillay 20' Irvine 34', 90' Miller 61'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Romeny 78'

Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney

Attendance: 35,241

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

19:35  UTC+9

Japan	2–0	Bahrain
Kamada 66' Kubo 87'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Attendance: 58,137

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20)

21:15  UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	1–0	China
S. Al-Dawsari 50'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh

Attendance: 24,742

Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

---

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:35  UTC+9

Japan	0–0	Saudi Arabia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Attendance: 58,003

Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:00  UTC+8

China	0–2	Australia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Irvine 16' Velupillay 29'

Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium, Hangzhou

Attendance: 70,588

Referee: Mooud Bonyadifard (Iran)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

20:45  UTC+7

Indonesia	1–0	Bahrain
Romeny 24'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta

Attendance: 69,599

Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

---

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

19:10  UTC+8

Australia	1–0	Japan
Behich 90'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Perth Stadium, Perth

Attendance: 57,226

Referee: Qasim Al-Hatmi (Oman)

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

20:45  UTC+7

Indonesia	1–0	China
Romeny 45' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta

Attendance: 69,661

Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

5 June 2025 (2025-06-05)

19:00  UTC+3

Bahrain	0–2	Saudi Arabia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Juwayr 16' Al-Aboud 78'

Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa

Attendance: 15,075

Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:35  UTC+9

Japan	6–0	Indonesia
Kamada 15', 45+6' Kubo 19' Morishita 55' Machino 58' Hosoya 80'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Suita City Football Stadium, Suita

Attendance: 33,661

Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:00  UTC+8

China	1–0	Bahrain
Wang Yudong 90+3' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Longxing Football Stadium, Chongqing

Attendance: 51,236

Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

21:15  UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	1–2	Australia
Al-Aboud 19'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Metcalfe 42' Duke 48'

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah

Attendance: 24,620

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Goalscorers

There were 231 goals scored in 90 matches, for an average of 2.57 goals per match.

5 goals

• Mehdi Taremi
• Yazan Al-Naimat
• Ali Olwan
• Yousef Nasser
• Almoez Ali
• Fábio Lima

4 goals

• Sardar Azmoun
• Mohammad Mohebi
• Aymen Hussein
• Daichi Kamada
• Kōki Ogawa
• Wessam Abou Ali
• Lee Jae-sung
• Oh Hyeon-gyu
• Harib Abdalla
• Abbosbek Fayzullaev

3 goals

• Jackson Irvine
• Nishan Velupillay
• Ole Romeny
• Takefusa Kubo
• Takumi Minamino
• Hidemasa Morita
• Joel Kojo
• Son Heung-min

2 goals

• Lewis Miller
• Kusini Yengi
• Mahdi Abduljabbar
• Mohamed Marhoon
• Zhang Yuning
• Marselino Ferdinan
• Mehdi Ghayedi
• Ibrahim Bayesh
• Ayase Ueda
• Musa Al-Taamari
• Mohammad Daham
• Alimardon Shukurov
• Kim Yu-song
• Pak Kwang-hun
• Muhsen Al-Ghassani
• Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri
• Issam Al-Sabhi
• Zaid Qunbar
• Tamer Seyam
• Akram Afif
• Ibrahim Al-Hassan
• Lucas Mendes
• Abdulrahman Al-Aboud
• Musab Al-Juwayr
• Hassan Kadesh
• Hwang Hee-chan
• Oh Se-hun
• Yahya Al-Ghassani
• Eldor Shomurodov

1 goal

• Aziz Behich
• Martin Boyle
• Mitchell Duke
• Craig Goodwin
• Connor Metcalfe
• Behram Abduweli
• Lin Liangming
• Wang Yudong
• Xie Wenneng
• Thom Haye
• Ragnar Oratmangoen
• Rafael Struick
• Sandy Walsh
• Saleh Hardani
• Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh
• Mohammad Mehdi Mohebi
• Youssef Amyn
• Akam Hashim
• Sajjad Jassim
• Wataru Endo
• Mao Hosoya
• Ko Itakura
• Junya Itō
• Shūto Machino
• Daizen Maeda
• Kaoru Mitoma
• Ryōya Morishita
• Yukinari Sugawara
• Yazan Al-Arab
• Noor Al-Rawabdeh
• Abdallah Nasib
• Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov
• Gulzhigit Alykulov
• Khristiyan Brauzman
• Valery Kichin
• Kai Merk
• Aleksandr Mishchenko
• Jong Il-gwan
• Kang Kuk-chol
• Ri Il-song
• Ri Jo-guk
• Ali Al-Busaidi
• Abdullah Fawaz
• Oday Kharoub
• Ameed Mahajna
• Ahmed Al-Rawi
• Ahmed Alaaeldin
• Ahmed Al Ganehi
• Pedro Miguel
• Salem Al-Dawsari
• Bae Jun-ho
• Joo Min-kyu
• Kim Jin-gyu
• Lee Kang-in
• Sultan Adil
• Khaled Ibrahim
• Marcus Meloni
• Ali Saleh
• Khojiakbar Alijonov
• Husniddin Aliqulov
• Khojimat Erkinov
• Jaloliddin Masharipov
• Igor Sergeev
• Otabek Shukurov
• Azizbek Turgunboev
• Oston Urunov

1 own goal

• Cameron Burgess (against Japan)
• Harry Souttar (against Bahrain)
• Justin Hubner (against Japan)
• Mehdi Taremi (against North Korea)
• Shogo Taniguchi (against Australia)
• Fahad Al Hajeri (against South Korea)
• Tamirlan Kozubayev (against Qatar)
• Kim Sung-hye (against Kyrgyzstan)
• Kim Yu-song (against Qatar)
• Ismaeel Mohammad (against Iran)
• Ali Lajami (against China)
• Jung Seung-hyun (against Oman)
• Kwon Kyung-won (against Jordan)

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following infractions: ^[16]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious infractions)
• Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions are carried forward to further qualification rounds, but not the finals or any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the third round:

Team	Player	Infraction(s)	Suspended for match(es)
Australia	Craig Goodwin	vs Indonesia (10 September 2024) vs Japan (15 October 2024)	vs Saudi Arabia (14 November 2024)
	Kusini Yengi	vs Bahrain (5 September 2024)	vs Indonesia (10 September 2024) vs China (10 October 2024)
Bahrain	Waleed Al Hayam	vs China (14 November 2024)	vs Australia (19 November 2024)
	Abdulla Al-Khulasi	vs Australia (5 September 2024) vs Saudi Arabia (15 October 2024)	vs China (14 November 2024)
	Amine Benaddi	vs Saudi Arabia (15 October 2024) vs Japan (20 March 2025)	vs Indonesia (25 March 2025)
	Ali Madan	vs Saudi Arabia (15 October 2024) vs Indonesia (25 March 2025)	vs Saudi Arabia (5 June 2025)
China	Behram Abduweli	vs Saudi Arabia (10 September 2024) vs Bahrain (14 November 2024)	vs Japan (19 November 2024)
	Lin Liangming	vs Bahrain (14 November 2024) vs Saudi Arabia (20 March 2025)	vs Australia (25 March 2025) vs Indonesia (5 June 2025)
	Wang Shangyuan	vs Australia (10 October 2024) vs Saudi Arabia (20 March 2025)	vs Australia (25 March 2025)
	Wei Shihao	vs Japan (19 November 2024) vs Indonesia (5 June 2025)	vs Bahrain (10 June 2025)
	Xie Wenneng	vs Saudi Arabia (10 September 2024) vs Indonesia (15 October 2024)	vs Bahrain (14 November 2024)
		vs Japan (19 November 2024) vs Australia (25 March 2025)	vs Indonesia (5 June 2025)
Indonesia	Marselino Ferdinan	vs Bahrain (10 October 2024) vs Bahrain (25 March 2025)	vs China (5 June 2025)
	Justin Hubner	vs Vietnam (21 March 2024) vs Philippines (11 June 2024)	vs Saudi Arabia (5 September 2024)
		vs Australia (10 September 2024)   vs Saudi Arabia (19 November 2024)	vs Australia (20 March 2025)
	Ivar Jenner	vs Bahrain (10 October 2024) vs China (15 October 2024)	vs Japan (14 November 2024)
		vs Saudi Arabia (19 November 2024) vs China (5 June 2025)	vs Japan (10 June 2025)
	Ragnar Oratmangoen	vs Bahrain (10 October 2024) vs Saudi Arabia (19 November 2024)	vs Australia (20 March 2025)
	Maarten Paes	vs Saudi Arabia (5 September 2024) vs Bahrain (25 March 2025)	vs China (5 June 2025)
Iran	Saman Ghoddos	vs United Arab Emirates (10 September 2024) vs Uzbekistan (10 October 2024)	vs Qatar (15 October 2024)
	Saleh Hardani	vs Uzbekistan (10 October 2024)	vs Qatar (15 October 2024) vs North Korea (14 November 2024)
	Shojae Khalilzadeh	vs North Korea (14 November 2024)	vs Kyrgyzstan (19 November 2024)
	Milad Mohammadi	vs United Arab Emirates (10 September 2024)   vs Qatar (5 June 2025)	vs North Korea (10 June 2025)
	Mohammad Mohebi	vs Qatar (15 October 2024) vs United Arab Emirates (20 March 2025)	vs Uzbekistan (25 March 2025)
Iraq	Ali Al-Hamadi	vs South Korea (5 June 2025)	vs Jordan (10 June 2025)
	Amjad Attwan	vs Jordan (14 November 2024) vs Oman (19 November 2024)	vs Kuwait (20 March 2025)
	Merchas Doski	vs Oman (19 November 2024) vs Kuwait (20 March 2025)	vs Palestine (25 March 2025)
	Aymen Hussein	vs Oman (19 November 2024) vs Palestine (25 March 2025)	vs South Korea (5 June 2025)
	Mustafa Saadoon	vs South Korea (15 October 2024) vs Jordan (14 November 2024)	vs Oman (19 November 2024)
	Rebin Sulaka	vs Kuwait (10 September 2024)	vs Palestine (10 October 2024)
Jordan	Mahmoud Al-Mardi	vs Palestine (20 March 2025) vs South Korea (25 March 2025)	vs Oman (5 June 2025)
	Nizar Al-Rashdan	vs South Korea (10 October 2024) vs South Korea (25 March 2025)	vs Oman (5 June 2025)
Kuwait	Ahmed Al-Dhefiri	vs Jordan (5 September 2024) vs Palestine (15 October 2024)	vs South Korea (14 November 2024)
	Muath Al-Enezi	vs Oman (10 October 2024) vs South Korea (14 November 2024)	vs Jordan (19 November 2024)
	Sultan Al-Enezi	vs Iraq (20 March 2025) vs Oman (25 March 2025)	vs Palestine (5 June 2025)
	Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli	vs Iraq (20 March 2025)	vs Oman (25 March 2025) vs Palestine (5 June 2025) vs South Korea (10 June 2025)
	Sami Al-Sanea	vs Oman (10 October 2024) vs South Korea (14 November 2024)	vs Jordan (19 November 2024)
	Yousef Nasser	vs Palestine (15 October 2024) vs Iraq (20 March 2025)	vs Oman (25 March 2025)
Kyrgyzstan	Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov	vs Qatar (10 October 2024) vs Uzbekistan (20 March 2025)	vs Qatar (25 March 2025)
	Said Datsiev	vs Uzbekistan (20 Marcg 2025)	vs Qatar (25 March 2025)
	Ermek Kenzhebayev	vs North Korea (15 October 2024) vs Iran (19 November 2024)	vs Uzbekistan (20 March 2025)
	Alimardon Shukurov	vs Iran (19 November 2024) vs Qatar (25 March 2025)	vs North Korea (5 June 2025)
North Korea	Jang Kuk-chol	vs Qatar (10 September 2024)	vs United Arab Emirates (10 October 2024)
	Jong Hwi-nam	vs Qatar (20 March 2025) vs United Arab Emirates (25 March 2025)	vs Kyrgyzstan (5 June 2025)
	Kim Kuk-jin	vs Qatar (20 March 2025) vs United Arab Emirates (25 March 2025)	vs Kyrgyzstan (5 June 2025)
	Kim Pom-hyok	vs Qatar (10 September 2024) vs United Arab Emirates (10 October 2024)	vs Kyrgyzstan (15 October 2024)
	Ri Il-song	vs Qatar (10 September 2024) vs Kyrgyzstan (15 October 2024)	vs Iran (14 November 2024)
	Ri Jo-guk	vs Iran (14 November 2024) vs Qatar (20 March 2025)	vs United Arab Emirates (25 March 2025)
Oman	Arshad Al-Alawi	vs Iraq (5 September 2024)	vs South Korea (10 September 2024)
	Ali Al-Busaidi	vs South Korea (10 September 2024) vs Jordan (5 June 2025)	vs Palestine (10 June 2025)
	Muhsen Al-Ghassani	vs South Korea (20 March 2025) vs Kuwait (25 March 2025)	vs Jordan (5 June 2025)
	Amjad Al-Harthi	vs South Korea (10 September 2024) vs Jordan (15 October 2024)	vs Palestine (14 November 2024)
	Harib Al-Saadi	vs South Korea (10 September 2024) vs Iraq (19 November 2024)	vs South Korea (20 March 2025)
Palestine	Hamed Hamdan	vs Jordan (20 March 2025) vs Iraq (25 March 2025)	vs Kuwait (5 June 2025)
	Oday Kharoub	vs South Korea (5 September 2024) vs South Korea (19 November 2024)	vs Jordan (20 March 2025)
	Ameed Mahajna	vs Iraq (10 October 2024) vs South Korea (19 November 2024)	vs Jordan (20 March 2025)
	Camilo Saldaña	vs South Korea (5 September 2024)   vs Kuwait (15 October 2024)	vs Oman (14 November 2024)
	Tamer Seyam	vs South Korea (5 September 2024) vs Kuwait (15 October 2024)	vs Oman (14 November 2024)
	Michel Termanini	vs Jordan (10 September 2024) vs Iraq (10 October 2024)	vs Kuwait (15 October 2024)
Qatar	Almoez Ali	vs Kyrgyzstan (10 October 2024) vs United Arab Emirates (19 November 2024)	vs North Korea (20 March 2025)
	Ahmed Al-Rawi	vs Afghanistan (6 June 2024) vs India (11 June 2024)	vs United Arab Emirates (5 September 2024)
	Ahmed Fathy	vs Uzbekistan (14 November 2024) vs Iran (5 June 2025)	vs Uzbekistan (10 June 2025)
	Lucas Mendes	vs Kyrgyzstan (25 March 2025)	vs Iran (5 June 2025) vs Uzbekistan (10 June 2025)
	Tarek Salman	vs United Arab Emirates (5 September 2024) vs North Korea (10 September 2024)	vs Kyrgyzstan (10 October 2024)
Saudi Arabia	Saud Abdulhamid	vs China (10 September 2024) vs Japan (10 October 2024)	vs Bahrain (15 October 2024)
	Nasser Al-Dawsari	vs Tajikistan (21 March 2024) vs Jordan (11 June 2024)	vs Indonesia (5 September 2024)
	Mohamed Kanno	vs Indonesia (5 September 2024) vs China (10 September 2024)	vs Japan (10 October 2024) vs Bahrain (15 October 2024) vs Australia (14 November 2024)
South Korea	Moon Seon-min	vs Iraq (15 October 2024) vs Iraq (5 June 2025)	vs Kuwait (10 June 2025)
	Park Yong-woo	vs Iraq (15 October 2024) vs Iraq (5 June 2025)	vs Kuwait (10 June 2025)
United Arab Emirates	Kouame Autonne	vs Qatar (5 September 2024) vs North Korea (10 October 2024)	vs Uzbekistan (15 October 2024)
	Abdulla Hamad	vs Uzbekistan (15 October 2024)	vs Kyrgyzstan (14 November 2024) vs Qatar (19 November 2024)
	Marcus Meloni	vs North Korea (10 October 2024) vs Qatar (19 November 2024)	vs Iran (20 March 2025)
	Majid Rashid	vs Yemen (21 March 2024) vs Bahrain (11 June 2024)	vs Qatar (5 September 2024)
		vs Kyrgyzstan (14 November 2024) vs Qatar (19 November 2024)	vs Iran (20 March 2025)
Uzbekistan	Rustam Ashurmatov	vs Kyrgyzstan (10 September 2024) vs Iran (10 October 2024)	vs United Arab Emirates (15 October 2024)
	Umar Eshmurodov	vs North Korea (19 November 2024)	vs Kyrgyzstan (20 March 2025)
	Jaloliddin Masharipov	vs Qatar (14 November 2024) vs Kyrgyzstan (20 March 2025)	vs Iran (25 March 2025)

See also

• 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

Notes

1. North Korea chose Vientiane, Laos, as their home site for their matches against Qatar, Iran and Uzbekistan due to "security concerns". ^{[7] [8]}
2. AFC moved the match to a neutral venue due to security concerns relating to the October 2024 Israeli strikes on Iran (Operation Days of Repentance). ^[9]
3. North Korea chose Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as their home site for their matches against the United Arab Emirates and Kyrgyzstan due to "security concerns". ^[10]
4. Palestine played all their home matches at a neutral venue until further notice, due to the ongoing Gaza war. ^[11]
5. Because of traffic accidents holding up the Australians on the Shuto Expressway, Football Australia and JFA jointly requested to slightly postpone the match, but were denied by the AFC match commissioner. ^{[12] [13]} Australia started warming up at 19:06, 29 minutes before kick-off. ^[13] Australia, staying in the Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in downtown Bunkyō, Tokyo, ^{[12] [14]} took 2 hours 9 minutes (16:37–18:46) to arrive the stadium via chartered coach, ^[12] while ordinary driving time from Tokyo Station is estimated to be 40 minutes, according to the stadium. ^[15]

References

1. "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 – Jun 2025)" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
2. "Asia's pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 confirmed". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
3. "Third round cast finalised". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
4. "Road to 26 draw to reveal riveting battles for Asian contenders". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
5. "Draw procedures for the AFC Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26" (PDF). FIFA. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
6. "Road to 26 - Draw Results & Match Schedule" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
7. Reddy, Shreyas (16 August 2024). "North Korea moves World Cup qualifier from Pyongyang due to 'security concerns'". NK News . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
8. "Latest update on AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
9. "Latest update on AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
10. Wragg, Thomas (6 March 2025). "North Korea v UAE to be held in Riyadh". Gulf News . Retrieved 13 March 2025.
11. "Malaysia to host Palestine vs Jordan World Cup Qualifier match". TheSun.my . 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
12. Smyth, Rob (15 October 2024). "Admirable defensive performance earns the Socceroos a vital point in a match of two own goals against the Samurai Blue". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2024. Our man in Tokyo says both teams requested a delay to the kick-off and were rejected by the Asian Football Confederation. That's pretty ordinary, and there are a few alternative words as well— Socceroos team bus set out at 4:37pm from Bunkyo and arrived in Saitama 6:46pm – Two hours and nine minutes. JFA and FA requested a delay to kickoff but AFC declined— Joey Lynch
13. McKern, James (15 October 2024). "Socceroos dudded by 'scandalous' decision after chaotic scenes unfold". News.com.au . Retrieved 15 October 2024.
14. Australia men's national soccer team [@Socceroos] (15 October 2024). "One final stretch of the legs on matchday. Tonight's kick off in Japan awaits" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 October 2024– via Twitter. [photos of Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo]
15. "Directions". stadium2002.com. Saitama Prefectural Park Association. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023. By Car: Urawa interchange - 10 minutes, Iwatsuki interchange - 15 minutes, Tokyo Station - 40 minutes, Haneda Airport - 50 minutes
16. "Regulations: FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition" (PDF). FIFA. June 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

External links

• Asian Qualifiers: Road to 26 playlist on YouTube