June is nearly among us and with it, international football. Most of the headlines will relate to the upcoming Copa America, hosted in the United States, and the Euros, hosted in Germany. However, it’s important to bring attention to the Asian countries pushing to book a ticket to the 2026 World Cup in USA, Canada, and Mexico.
How Does Qualification Work:
With the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 teams, the Asian Football Confederation received 8 automatic spots to the 2026 World Cup plus more one spot that will see that team go into an intercontinental playoff against teams from South America, Africa, Oceania and North America/the Caribbean (two playoff spots).
TheAsian World Cup qualifying campaign (WCQs) are divided into 5 stages. The first stage, played on October 12th and 17th 2023, saw the 20 worst ranked countries according to FIFA, divided into 10 pairings. These ties are played home and away.
The ongoing second stage sees 9 groups of 4 Asian countries playing each other home and away. The top two in each group qualify for the next stage of the WCQs and the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The Third stage of the Asian Cup sees 3 groups of 6 teams where the top two in each group officially qualify for the World Cup while the next two teams from reach group advance to the fourth round.
The fourth stage has two groups of 3 teams where the top team of each group qualifies to the World Cup while the runners-up of each group go to the fifth round.
The fifth stage sees the two runner-ups battle home and away to determine who goes into the intercontinental playoff mentioned above.
What Has Happened?
The first stage on October 2023 saw Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Yemen, Myanmar, Pakistan, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Nepal, and Indonesia advance. 10 countries have been eliminated.
Stage two started on November 16th, 2023, and ends on June 11th, 2024.
Group A:
Group A features two-time Asian Cup winner and former World Cup host Qatar with 12 points, India with 4 points, Afghanistan with 4 points, and Kuwait with 3.
Qatar predictably has run away with the group, shredding Afghanistan 8-1 in Al-Rayyan Qatar, beating India 3-0 in Bhubaneswar, India, and beating Kuwait home and away. They have officially qualified for the next stage of WCQs. Qatari Striker Almoez Ali is the top goal scorer in Asian WCQS.
India had a disastrous start to 2024, crashing out of the group stage at the 2023 Asian Cup in January. They scored 0 goals and conceded 6 goals. In March 2024, they drew against Afghanistan away from home, before losing to them at home 1-2 in Guwahati, India. All-time Indian goal scorer Sunil Chhetri gave them the lead through a 38-minute penalty before conceding in the 70th and 88th minute.
Unfortunately, Chhetri, who is 39 years old, announced that he is retiring from the national team, with the two remaining WCQs games being his last. He is the all-time top goal scorer for India as well as the 3rd highest international goal scorer in the world after Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo. His presence for the Indian National Team will be missed.
Group B:
Group B has Japan sitting on top with 12 points, Syria second with 7 points, North Korea with 3 points, and Myanmar with 1 point.
Japan was the overwhelming favorite to win the 2023 Asian Cup. Their good performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, good performances in friendlies, and their 5-0 wins against Syria and Myanmar in this group contributed to this idea. However, they crashed out in the quarterfinals against Iran.
In March, they faced off against North Korea, beating them at home 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ao Tanaka. They were supposed to play in Pyongyang, North Korea but the match was cancelled after concerns of “a malignant infectious disease” in Japan. Japan were awarded a 3-0 win and they qualified to the next round of the Asian cup.
Syria made it out of their group for the first time before being eliminated by Iran on penalties in the round of 16. They beat North Korea at home in this group 1-0 thanks to a 37-minute penalty by Omar Al Somah. In March, they drew to Myanmar away in Yangon, Myanmar before tearing them apart 7-0 at home.
Group C:
Group C has South Korea with 10 points, China with 7, Thailand with 4, and Singapore with 1 point.
South Korea reached the semifinals of the Asian Cup before losing 2-0 to a strong Jordan side. In this group, they beat Singapore 5-0 at home and beat China in Shenzen 0-3. They then drew 1-1 to Thailand in Seoul, before beating Thailand 0-3 in Bangkok.
China had a bad Asian cup campaign, being one of the only two teams to not score a goal; the other being India. They crashed out at the group stage. In WCQs, they beat Thailand in Bangkok 1-2. They drew 2-2 with Singapore in Singapore, a humiliating result for them. They got their revenge quickly by beating them 4-1 in China.
Group D:
Group D has Kyrgyzstan and Oman with 9 points, separated by goal difference. Malaysia has 6 points and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) has 0 points.
Kyrgyzstan and Oman both crashed out of the Asian cup group stage after drawing against each other. In this group, Kyrgyzstan was able to beat Oman at home and tore Chinese Taipei apart home and away. Oman beat Malaysia 2-0 home and away in March while also getting a win against Chinese Taipei, who have been eliminated.
Malaysia failed to make it out of their Asian Cup group. They were involved in a 3-3 draw thriller against South Korea. They beat Kyrgyzstan at home 3-4, while beating Chinese Taipei away from home.
Group E:
Group E features Iran and Uzbekistan with 10 points, both qualifying for the next stage of the WCQs. Turkmenistan and Hong Kong are eliminated with 1 point each.
In the 2022 World Cup, a goal from Christian Pulisic eliminated Iran. They have never made it out of the group stage. Qatar eliminated them in the Semifinals of the 2023 Asian Cup. Worryingly for the team, their youth development doesn’t seem to be enough to take over after star players like Mehdi Taremi retire. The performance of their U-17 team at the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia offers some hope for Irans future.
Uzbekistan has come painstakingly close to qualifying for a World Cup but failed. Qatar eliminated them in the Quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. The youth development of this country does hold promise. Their U-23 team reached the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Their U-20 team got to the U-20 World Cup before being eliminated by Israel in the Round of 16.
Group F:
Group F has Iraq with 12 points, Indonesia with 7, Vietnam with 3, and the Philippines with 1 point.
Iraq won the 2007 Asian Cup, a huge achievement for this team.
In the 2023 Asian Cup, Iraq topped their group before their elimination by Jordan in the Round of 16. They have won all 4 WCQ games so far. They have also scored many goals, beating the Philippines 5-0 away from home and Indonesia 5-1 at home.
Indonesia is rapidly improving. They sit one win away from qualifying to the next round of the WCQs, beating Vietnam home and away. They did draw with the Philippines. Indonesia made history at the Asian Cup, beating Vietnam to advance to the Round Of 16 where they lost 4-0 to Australia.
Vietnam has disappointed. They had a good Asian cup in 2019, where they lost in the quarterfinals 0-1 to Japan. The team has been declining since then.
Group G:
Group G features Saudi Arabia with 10 points, Jordan with 7 points, Tajikistan with 5 points and Pakistan with 0.
Saudi Arabia started off by beating Pakistan 0-4 at home before beating Jordan 0-2 away from home. They won their first game against Tajikistan. But, they drew the match away from home, stopping them from qualifying for the 3rd round in March. South Korea eliminated them on penalties in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.
Jordan reached the final of the 2023 Asian Cup, where they lost to Qatar. They beat Pakistan home and away with an aggregate score of 10-0.
Tajikistan is improving. They debuted at the 2023 Asian Cup where they reached the quarterfinals, losing to Jordan 1-0. In WCQs, they drew with Jordan at home and shredded Pakistan 6-1 away.
Pakistan has been eliminated.
Group H:
Group H features the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 12 points, Bahrain with 9, Yemen with 3, and Nepal with 0.
The UAE won their first 4 games, qualifying for the next round of the WCQs. They went out in the Round of 16 of the Asian Cup, losing on penalties to Tajikistan.
Bahrain beat Yemen away from home, lost to the UAE at home, and then beat Nepal twice. They topped their Asian Cup group. Japan eliminated them in the Round of 16.
Yemen beat Nepal away 2-0. Nepal is eliminated.
Group I:
Group I feature Australia with 12 points, Palestine with 7, Lebanon with 2, and Bangladesh with 1.
Australia is one of the better Asian teams. They made it to the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup where eventual winner Argentina beat them 1-2. South Korea eliminated them in extra time in the quarterfinals of the Asian cup. Australia tore Bangladesh apart at home, winning 7-0, and tore Lebanon home and away 7-0 on aggregate. They struggled against the Palestinians, eventually beating them 1-0.
For the first time in their history, Palestine made it out of the group stage of the Asian Cup. Qatar quickly eliminated them in the Round Of 16. Barring a disaster, they are set to make it to the 3rd round of WCQs for the first time. They drew Lebanon away from home. Palestine tore Bangladesh apart at home 5-0. They scrapped a 1-0 win thanks to a stoppage time goal by Michel Milad Ziad Termanini.
Lebanon made it to the 3rd round of the WCQ champaign for the 2022 World Cup but ultimately fell short. They have declined heavily since then. Lebanon drew to Palestine and Bangladesh in WCQs. They went out in the group stage of the Asian Cup.
Upcoming Matches To Look Forward To
The remaining two matches of round 2 will be played in June 6 and June 11, 2024.
With many of the top spots of each group already defined, there are several matches that will determine who gets second in each group.
Group A:
India vs Kuwait in Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, India:
A win for India would likely secure second place as Kuwait would be eliminated. Afghanistan would have to get four points from their last two games, a herculean task for a team struggling with behind-the-scenes problems. A draw or an India loss leaves it open for anyone to secure second place.
Group C:
China vs Thailand in Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Statium, Shenyang, China:
With China’s last game being against South Korea away, this is a must win game for the Chinese. A draw or a loss would allow Thailand to steal that second-place spot should they beat Singapore at home and if China draws or loses to South Korea.
Group G:
Jordan vs Tajikistan in Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan:
This is going to be a high stakes match against two of the most technically interesting Asian teams. A Jordan win would eliminate Tajikistan. A draw or loss leaves Jordan having no option but to try and beat Saudi Arabia in Saudi Arabia. With Tajikistan last game being against Pakistan, a Jordan loss would likely eliminate them from WCQs.
Final Thoughts:
With this round ending in June 11, World Cup qualification starts becoming more and more urgent. In the third round, Asia’s best teams will begin to battle it out to see who qualifies to the World Cup.
