Uzbekistan & Jordan qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026, making historic debuts

KATHMANDU: Uzbekistan and Jordan have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 from the Asian region, marking their first-ever appearances in the global football tournament.

On Friday, Uzbekistan secured their place in the World Cup after holding the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to a goalless draw in Dubai.

With one match remaining in the group stage, Uzbekistan are four points ahead of UAE, ensuring a top-two finish in Group A and automatic qualification for the World Cup.

Eighteen teams are competing in the third round of Asian qualifiers, divided into three groups.

The top two teams from each group directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams advance to the next qualification round.

In Group A, Iran and Uzbekistan have confirmed their World Cup spots. Iran lead the group with 20 points, followed by Uzbekistan with 18.

UAE (14 points) and Qatar (13 points) will compete in the next qualification round, while Kyrgyzstan (7 points) and winless North Korea (3 points) are eliminated.

In Group B, Jordan secured their historic qualification alongside South Korea. Jordan defeated Oman 3–0, and South Korea beat Iraq 2–0, helping Jordan climb to second place.

South Korea top the group with 19 points, followed by Jordan with 16. Iraq (12 points) will move to the next stage, while Oman (10 points) and Palestine (9 points) battle for fourth place. Kuwait, with only 5 points and no wins, are out of contention.

From Group C, Japan have already qualified with 20 points.

The second spot will be decided next week between Australia (16 points) and Saudi Arabia (13 points). Indonesia, with 12 points, have secured a place in the next round, while Bahrain and China, both with 6 points, have been eliminated.

So far, apart from the Asian qualifiers, Mexico, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Iran, Japan, and New Zealand have also secured their spots in the FIFA World Cup 2026.