2026 World Cup - Asian qualifiers

World Cup 2026, Euro 2028, etc.
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Firnen
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Post by Firnen »

One of Iraq or Jordan will make the World Cup from this stage!

Uzbekistan wil fight Qatar and probably manage to choke as usually.

4th place will be a battle in all 3 Groups.

Don't write out Indonesia vs Bahrain and China, their fully Dutch new team is more competitive than we are used too.
amenina
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Post by amenina »

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/asi ... coach.html

Rui Bento steps down as Kuwait head coach
TUE, 02 JULY, 2024

Kuwait City: Kuwait Football Association announced the departure of head coach Rui Bento on Tuesday.

The Portuguese, who took over the helm in 2022, leaves his post having helped Kuwait return to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time since the 2006 edition.

“Many thanks and appreciation to the Portuguese coach Rui Pinto for the period during which he oversaw the training of our national team. We wish you success in your future endeavors,” Kuwait FA announced on X.

Kuwait were drawn in Group B alongside Korea Republic, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Palestine for the next stage of the qualifiers.
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MartinW
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Post by MartinW »

amenina wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2024 09:40 https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/asi ... ngers.html

Draw Result
Group A: IR Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyz Republic, DPR Korea
Group B: Korea Republic, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait
Group C: Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China PR, Indonesia
Were there restrictions in the draw so that teams in the same group in the previous round weren't drawn together again?
Shing
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Post by Shing »

MartinW wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2024 00:20
amenina wrote: Thu Jun 27, 2024 09:40 https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/asi ... ngers.html

Draw Result
Group A: IR Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyz Republic, DPR Korea
Group B: Korea Republic, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait
Group C: Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China PR, Indonesia
Were there restrictions in the draw so that teams in the same group in the previous round weren't drawn together again?
No, Iran and Uzbekistan are in the same group in both round 2 and 3
amenina
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Post by amenina »

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/asi ... coach.html

Hong Myung-bo named Korea Republic head coach
MON, 08 JULY, 2024

Seoul: Former coach and captain Hong Myung-bo will return to guide Korea Republic's national men's football team, the governing body said on Sunday, five months after the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann.

"We have signed Hong as our next national team head coach," a spokesman for the Korea Football Association (KFA) said.

Klinsmann, a FIFA World Cup winner as a player in 1990, was dismissed after Korea Republic's semi-final exit from the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ in February.

Hong returns as Korea Republic head coach 10 years after stepping down in the wake of the team's group-stage exit from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Hong, 55, is celebrated as one of Korea Republic's greatest football players. As a defender, he captained them to the semi-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which Korea Republic co-hosted with Japan, and scored the decisive penalty in a quarter-final shootout against Spain.

Hong, who steered Ulsan Hyundai to the last two K League 1 titles, will guide Korea Republic in the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 with Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait their opponents in Group B.
Lorric
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Post by Lorric »

Looks like they couldn't have hired anyone better to ensure they don't have the cultural problems they had with Klinsmann. A former manager with 10 years and trophies under the belt since then.
amenina
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Post by amenina »

Lorric wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2024 23:18 Looks like they couldn't have hired anyone better to ensure they don't have the cultural problems they had with Klinsmann. A former manager with 10 years and trophies under the belt since then.
If you read the rumors, the Korean FA talked with many international coaches, such as just to name a few, Herve Renard (will be leaving France women's team after Olympics, and said he wants to coach in the 2026 WC, so is basically linked with every international opening), Jesse Marsch (eventually decided to coach Canada), Jesus Canas (current coach of Iraq, decided to stay), Bruno Lage (used to coach Hwang Hee-chan at Wolves), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (now that's a name you don't expect), and Garry Monk (now that's a name you really don't expect). Heck even David Moyes got a mention, although I doubt if they contacted him it is anything serious.

Ultimately like any national team manager position, the really good managers are way over budget, the good managers would still command a high salary but are no guarantee of a sure bet, given possibilities of issues such as as you say cultural problems. So they just went with the best domestic candidate, although somebody who was already given a chance before (Hong coached in the 2014 WC when Korea Republic were eliminated in the group stage).
amenina
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Post by amenina »

Just soon after I wrote the previous post, here is some more inside information on the Korea FA's appointment of their national team manager, where one ex-player who is on the technical committee said he was "confused" by the whole process.

https://x.com/PaulWilliams_85/status/18 ... 0024001657

So this confirmed more or less what some journalists have previously reported, that Jesse Marsch was the only foreign candidate they had some serious talks with, but eventually he chose to manage Canada.
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Post by amenina »

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/pi ... uwait.html

Pizzi takes charge of Kuwait
THU, 18 JULY, 2024

Kuwait City: Kuwait Football Association (KFA) has announced the appointment of Juan Antonio Pizzi as the men’s national team head coach.

Spaniard Pizzi took over the role vacated by Rui Bento after the Portuguese helped Kuwait return to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time since the 2006 edition.

“Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Football Association, Hayef Al-Mutairi, announced that the Federation has signed a contract with Argentine coach Juan Pizzi for one year to lead the Kuwaiti senior national team in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers,” read the statement from KFA on X.

“The President of the Federation confirmed that the Board of Directors and the Technical Committee of the Federation settled on coach Pizzi after extensive study of a number of coaches, due to the great experience that the Argentine coach possesses, as he had previously trained the Saudi national team in the 2018 World Cup, and also coached the Bahrain national team, in addition to winning the Copa America 2016 with the Chilean national team.”

The Argentine-born was previously in charge of the Chile and Saudi Arabia national teams as well as at club level with Valencia in Spain and Al Wasl in the United Arab Emirates.

The 56-year-old will be tasked with steering Kuwait through AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 after they were drawn in Group B alongside Korea Republic, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Palestine.
amenina
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Post by amenina »

https://x.com/futbolpalestine/status/18 ... 87898?s=46

FIFA and the AFC have give approval to Palestine to host games at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in Jerusalem ahead of Round 3 of #WCQ2026 but will likely have to wait until October at the earliest to host #AsianQualifiers

https://footballpalestine.com/palestine ... ext-month/

Palestine given green light to host matches but will play Jordan in Kuala Lumpur next month
EarlofBug
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Post by EarlofBug »

amenina wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 15:43 https://x.com/futbolpalestine/status/18 ... 87898?s=46

FIFA and the AFC have give approval to Palestine to host games at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in Jerusalem ahead of Round 3 of #WCQ2026 but will likely have to wait until October at the earliest to host #AsianQualifiers

https://footballpalestine.com/palestine ... ext-month/

Palestine given green light to host matches but will play Jordan in Kuala Lumpur next month
It's not in Jerusalem, it's in Al-Ram (within the Palestine authority).
amenina
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Post by amenina »

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/asi ... to_26.html

Asia’s hopefuls primed for final stretch on Road to 26
FRI, 30 AUGUST, 2024

Kuala Lumpur: The finishing line is in sight for 18 of the Continent’s national teams as they prepare to resume their qualifying journey for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

Scheduled to run until June 2025, the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 features three groups of six teams and guarantees qualification to the 23rd FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the top two finishers of each group. Two more berths are available via the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Playoff, with an additional opportunity up for grabs at an InterContinental Playoff.

Having emerged from the second qualifying round that concluded in June, the 18-strong cast will now turn their attention to claiming one of the six slots on offer in this third round.

Three sides have reached this stage for the first time since the current format, which starting in 2015 combines qualification for both the AFC Asian Cup™ and FIFA World Cup in the first two rounds: Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic and Palestine. Along with four other teams, namely Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Uzbekistan, they will aim to secure a FIFA World Cup appearance for the first time. Meanwhile, all of AFC’s six representatives at the most recent edition in Qatar in 2022 – Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia – are in contention to make an immediate return.

The very first match of this round takes place Down Under as Australia welcome Bahrain to the Robina Stadium to kick off Group C at 8.10pm. Set to play in the Gold Coast for the first time, the Socceroos are targeting a sixth consecutive qualification. They cruised through Round 2 with a perfect record, scoring 22 goals and conceding none, and will hope to seal a seventh World Cup appearance in a more straightforward fashion having taken the long route via the Intercontinental Playoffs for the last two editions.

On the contrary, the Bahrainis have twice fallen at the Playoff stage (2006, 2010) and will be eyeing their first international win against Australia, having lost all previous six meetings.

The only other team to progress from the previous round without conceding once, Japan are next to take to the pitch in Group C with a home fixture against China PR at the Saitama Stadium 2002. The 2002 World Cup co-hosts are aiming for an eighth qualification – which would be in consecutive fashion – and are unbeaten in their last 13 qualifiers, winning 12 of those.

The visitors, whose sole appearance at the global showpiece was in 2002, came through the second round via a superior goal difference at the expense of Thailand. They will meet the Samurai Blue for the 40th time, with their last win against the four-time AFC Asian Cup™ champions dating back to March 1998 – 16 matches ago – and kick-off is at 7.35pm.

Having appeared at the last two editions, Saudi Arabia are aiming to make it three on the trot and seven qualifications overall as they begin their Group C campaign at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah at 9pm against Indonesia. The Green Falcons have won 12 of 15 encounters to date, with the other three ending as draws.

The only Southeast Asian side still left standing, Indonesia are also the sole team from the first round to have made it this far. The Garuda have already chalked up five wins, their most ever in a single qualifying campaign, and are dreaming of a World Cup debut – their participation in 1938, as the Dutch East Indies, was pre-independence.

With 11 World Cup involvements to date, Korea Republic are unmatched in Asia and will be expected to extend their streak. The Taeguk Warriors, who last suffered a home defeat in qualifying in June 2013, will face Palestine for the first time at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8pm for their Group B opener.

Four appearances in the second round were the furthest that the away side had ever progressed prior to this edition and the Lions of Canaan, who enjoyed a breakthrough AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ with their first ever win and Knockout Stage qualification, are hoping to make more history.

The second Group B fixture takes place at the Basra International Stadium, where Iraq will continue their hunt for a second World Cup qualification since their 1986 debut. The Lions of Mesopotamia emerged from the second-round with a perfect record – the first time they had won six qualifying matches in a row since 1993 – and will welcome Oman at 7pm for a 30th international meeting. Each of their last five meetings have ended in draws; the visitors have never won in Iraq, losing on six out of seven previous occasions.

Targeting a historic World Cup qualification, Jordan go head to head with Kuwait in the third Group B tie at 9pm at the Amman International Stadium. Buoyed by a stunning run to their first AFC Asian Cup™ Final at Qatar 2023, the home side will aim to erase the hurt of falling at the Intercontinental Playoff hurdle in 2014 as they face the Kuwaitis for a 29th time. The latter, whose sole World Cup appearance came in 1982, will have to beat Jordan for the first time since 2014 if they are to make a winning start.

Another side that has in the past been left to rue what could have been, Uzbekistan have the opportunity now to banish the ghosts of 2014 qualifying where they missed out on a direct berth on goal difference. The White Wolves’ Group A journey begins at 7pm at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, where they will entertain DPR Korea in search of an eighth win in 11 international meetings. The Chollima, on the other hand, are seeking to add a third World Cup outing to their 1966 and 2010 participations.

Since June 2013, IR Iran have won 16 of 19 World Cup qualifiers on home soil and will aim to extend the Continent’s current longest unbeaten home run when they square off against the Kyrgyz Republic at 7:30pm in the second fixture of Group A.

Team Melli are targeting a fourth consecutive World Cup appearance and seventh overall, while the White Falcons have reached the third qualifying round at the fifth time of asking. The visitors are seeking a first ever international win against IR Iran, with all four previous meetings ending in defeat, when they travel to the Foolad Shahr Stadium in Fuladshahr for this match.

A taste of their first ever World Cup in the last edition will have whetted Qatar’s appetite for more and the reigning AFC Asian Cup™ champions, who retained the crown in February after first winning it in 2019, head into their Group A opener off the back of a 13-match unbeaten streak (11 wins) in competitive internationals.

Their opponents at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan are the United Arab Emirates, whose sole qualification for the World Cup was in 1990. They will be looking for their first victory against Qatar since 2015 in what will be the 34th international meeting between the duo, which will kick off at 7pm.

*All times indicated are in respective local times

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Kamtedrejt
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Post by Kamtedrejt »

https://x.com/sk_football1907/status/18 ... 2343903656

I did my analysis and came up with my predictions for 🌏 AFC WCQ Round 3. Here are they:

Top two qualify automatically. 3rd and 4th get another chance to qualify via round 4 where there's another two World Cup spots avaialble.

Group A

1. 🇮🇷 Iran
2. 🇶🇦 Qatar

3. 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
4. 🇦🇪 UAE
_________________
5. 🇰🇵 North Korea
6. 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Group B

1. 🇮🇶 Iraq
2. 🇰🇷 South Korea

3. 🇯🇴 Jordan
4. 🇵🇸 Palestine
_________________
5. 🇴🇲 Oman
6. 🇰🇼 Kuwait

Group C

1. 🇯🇵 Japan
2. 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

3. 🇦🇺 Australia
4. 🇧🇭 Bahrain
_________________
5. 🇮🇩 Indonesia
6. 🇨🇳 China

If there's questions on certain picks feel free to ask. I may bring up my points.
Kamtedrejt
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Post by Kamtedrejt »

Predictions Matchday 1

🇦🇺 AUS 1-1 🇧🇭 BHR
🇯🇵 JPN 1-0 🇨🇳 CHN
🇰🇷 KOR 3-0 🇵🇸 PLE
🇺🇿 UZB 0-1 🇰🇵 PRK
🇮🇶 IRQ 1-0 🇴🇲 OMA
🇮🇷 IRN 4-0 🇰🇬 KGZ
🇶🇦 QAT 2-0 🇦🇪 UAE
🇯🇴 JOR 4-1 🇰🇼 KUW
🇸🇦 KSA 2-1 🇮🇩 IDN

#AsianQualifiers
amenina
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Post by amenina »

Third round, matchday 1 fixtures, 5 September 2024

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