Latest news with #AFCQualifiers
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Qatar and Saudi Arabia to host AFC 2026 World Cup playoffs
Qatar and Saudi Arabia will host the Asian qualifying playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have confirmed. Six teams, the third and fourth-placed sides from the recent Asian third round of qualifying, will be divided into two groups of three teams. They will battle each other in a centralised format from October 8 to 14, 2025, the AFC said in a statement on Friday. The group winners will secure the two remaining automatic berths at the World Cup. The runners-up from each group will play two matches on November 13 and 18, with the winners qualifying for the inter-confederation playoffs, through which they could win a spot at the World Cup. The draw for the next, and final, round of qualifying in Asia is scheduled for July 17. The venues for each of the matches will be confirmed thereafter. The third round of qualifying constituted three groups of six, with the top two teams from each group automatically qualifying for the World Cup, filling six of the AFC's eight slots at the 2026 edition of world football's showpiece event. The third- and fourth-placed teams from each group progressed to the final round of the AFC qualifiers, hoping to win one of the rapidly dwindling spots at the World Cup finals. The bottom two teams from each of those groups were eliminated – Palestine being the last side to see their hopes of progressing ended when they were defeated by a late penalty for Oman, who claimed fourth spot in Group B as a result. It was the furthest Palestine had reached in their attempts to qualify for a World Cup. Japan were the first team to secure their place at the tournament, which is to be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico, when they swept through Group C. Australia, in the same group, claimed their place in second spot with a final day win against Saudi Arabia, who could have leapt above the Socceroos with a win. Jordan and Uzbekistan both finished second in their groups, behind South Korea and Iraq respectively, sealing their first appearances at at World Cup. Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the six teams still in with a chance of reaching the World Cup finals. AFC Asian Cup champions, and hosts of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar endured a mixed campaign to finish fourth in Group A, with UAE claiming third. Indonesia, hoping for only a second appearance at the World Cup finals, secured the fourth spot in Group C, seeing off a late charge from China, who missed out on qualification for the next stage alongside Bahrain. Saudi Arabia finished third in that group. Iraq and Oman finished third and fourth, respectively, in Group B. The next edition of the Asian Cup will be played in 2027. Saudi Arabia, which will also host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, has been named the host nation. The first round of AFC qualifying for the tournament began in October 2023, and saw 20 teams (ranked 27 to 46) playing home and away playoffs, with the 10 winners progressing. The second round saw the teams ranked 1-26 join the qualification process, with the 36 teams split into nine groups. The round was played across 2023 and 2024. The winners and runners-up of the nine groups progressed not only to the 2027 Asian Cup, but also to the AFC World Cup qualifying groups. A third round of qualifiers is currently in progress to find out who will line up at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, alongside the 18 teams that have just completed the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Australian
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Football: Tony Popovic demands best from Socceroos
Socceroos captain Mat Ryan says the 'passion' of Australia's coach Tony Popovic will continue to inspire the national team ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup. The Socceroos only need to avoid a five-goal defeat in Wednesday morning's clash against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah to guarantee themselves qualification for a sixth successive World Cup. Popovic's appointment last September came at a difficult time for the Socceroos, who had made a poor start to the third round of AFC World Cup qualifiers with a 1-0 loss to Bahrain and a 0-0 draw with Indonesia. It led to the departure of long-time coach Graham Arnold, with Popovic given the task of getting the Socceroos' qualifying campaign back on track. The new coach, who played for the Socceroos at the 2006 World Cup, made an immediate impression on experienced goalkeeper Ryan, who was set to make his 100th appearance for the national team on Wednesday. Tony Popovic's 'passion' for the Socceroos has been recognised by his players. Picture:'I remember when they appointed him and watching his first press conference and interviews,' Ryan said. 'There was a few questions thrown at him about it being not the greatest time to be taking over as Socceroos head coach because of the circumstances we were in. 'We didn't start off the group in the best possible way and were perhaps behind the eight-ball. 'From memory of him answering the question, he said … 'Every moment to take over the national team, especially the Australian national team, is a great moment. I'm not buying into any of that. It's an honour. It's a privilege to be here, and I can't wait to get to work'. 'From that moment, I (thought) 'he's someone that's super passionate about not only football but Australian football', and it's just been on repeat since he's been in here. 'He demands the absolute maximum from each and every one of us, and that's exactly how it should be.' Ryan said Arnold and Ange Postecoglou had shown similar passion when they coached the Socceroos, as opposed to the tenures of the other two full-time coaches who had guided him at national team level – German mentor Holger Osieck and Dutchman Bert van Marwijk. 'With every manager we've had here in the national team, it's fair to say the Australian managers more than the foreign managers (have) got that extra special relationship with the jersey,' he said. 'Ange (and) 'Arnie' were also obviously very passionate about the national team, and that was portrayed through their actions and their words and speeches.' Read related topics: FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
News.com.au
11-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Ex-Socceroos coach Graham Arnold ‘proud' of his Iraq team following win over Jordan
Former Socceroos boss Graham Arnold has secured his first win as Iraq coach with a 1-0 away victory over Jordan in Amman. While Wednesday morning's success wasn't enough for Iraq to secure FIFA World Cup qualification, Arnold's men will have another chance to book a berth in next year's tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada when they compete in the fourth round of AFC qualifiers in October. 'I'm proud of the team,' Arnold said after the win, which came less than a week after Iraq suffered a 2-0 home loss to South Korea in his first game in charge of the Lions of Mesopotamia. 'It was a crazy week, but it ended well. We rested four players to avoid suspension and will now focus on the (fourth round). 'My message to Iraqi fans – believe in us, we will reach the 2026 World Cup.' The final Group B table after tonight's victory - onto the Fourth Round we go in October! ðŸ¦�🇮🇶 #AsianQualifiers #RoadTo2026 — Iraq National Team (@IraqNT_EN) June 10, 2025 The fourth round of qualifiers features the nations that finished third and fourth in the three third-round groups. Joining Iraq will be the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Indonesia. The six nations will be split into two groups of three, with the top team from each group to advance to the World Cup. The teams that finished second in each group will play each other for the AFC's spot in the six-nation inter-confederation playoffs, from which two teams will secure World Cup qualification.
Al Jazeera
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Palestine World Cup dream ends after late penalty heartbreak against Oman
Palestine's historic Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was ended by a late Oman penalty in a 1-1 draw in their final group game. Needing a win to reach the fourth round of the AFC qualifiers, Palestine led deep into five minutes of injury time through Oday Kharoub's goal early in the second half. The scoreline would have been enough to propel Palestine past Oman into the fourth and final qualifying spot in Group B of the third round of the AFC qualifiers – a stage they had also reached for the first time. However, a tug of the shirt on a runner chasing a free kick from the deep was spotted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and Palestine's dream of a first appearance at a football World Cup ended with Essam Al-Subhi's spot kick in the 97th minute of the match. Kharoub's headed goal came after a fine first half for Palestine, in which Michel Termanini struck the bar with a header. Wessam Ali had a second for Palestine ruled out for a marginal offside, only moments after Oman's Harib Al-Saadi saw red for a second yellow following a foul on Hamed Hamdan in the 73rd minute. The decisive moment came, though, when Muhsen Al-Ghassani ran clear in the box in an attempt to reach a looped ball in the area. Ahmed Taha's grab at the runner was deemed illegal and the eliminating kick was awarded against Palestine. The run to the third round of the AFC qualifiers for the first time followed Palestine's historic feat of reaching the knockout stages of the last AFC Asian Cup for the first time. A first appearance at football's global showpiece was only one more match away until the late drama at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan, where Palestine were forced to stage their home matches due to Israel's war on Gaza. The full-time whistle, and with it, anticipated scenes of wild celebration was cruelly only seconds away for Palestine. Instead, the tension that was palpably building ahead of the referee calling an end to the match turned to scenes of despair as tears rolled down the cheeks of the Palestine players, many of whom collapsed to the floor in disbelief. Oman now join Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Indonesia, who lost 6-0 to Japan earlier in the day, in the fourth round of qualifiers, from which two teams will join the already six qualified nations from the third round of qualifiers. One final chance will be available for the third-placed team from the fourth round of qualifiers, as that nation will progress to the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs in a last-chance saloon to line up at next year's finals. Australia became the final team to confirm their automatic qualification from the third round of qualifiers when they saw off Saudi Arabia's challenge for second spot in Group C with a 2-1 win in Jeddah. Alongside Australia – Japan, Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Jordan, finished as the top two finishers in their group to book their places at the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The latter two qualified for a World Cup for the first time.
News.com.au
08-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Socceroos playmaker Daniel Arzani desperate to make right call about his club future
Daniel Arzani's desire to represent Australia at another FIFA World Cup has him desperate to ensure he makes the right choice about where he plays his club football next season. Arzani and the Socceroos can smell 2026 World Cup qualification ahead of their clash against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday morning (AEST). To have any chance of denying Australia a guaranteed World Cup spot from a top-two finish in Group C of the AFC's third round of qualifiers, the Saudis must score a minimum of five goals against the Socceroos, who beat Japan 1-0 in Perth last Thursday night. 'The job isn't done yet … and were also here representing Australia, which is not a small deal,' Arzani said from Jeddah on Sunday in stressing that the Socceroos weren't going to take a complacent attitude into the match. However, with the Saudis needing a miracle to claim second spot in Group C ahead of Australia, Arzani has been able to dream of going to another World Cup after playing at the tournament as a teenager in 2018 in Russia. It's why the Melbourne Victory star – who has been linked with a move to Scottish club Hearts – is taking his time deciding on whether to remain in the A-League next season or head overseas. The 26-year-old playmaker has been able to force his way back into the Socceroos squad on the back of good form and regular football for the Victory. With his Victory contract expiring this month, Arzani now must weigh up the gamble of trying his luck overseas or instead taking the perhaps safer option of signing a new deal with the Melbourne club, knowing that Socceroos coach Tony Popovic hasn't been afraid to pick A-League players since his appointment in September last year. 'Any of the boys that are looking to move or who are off contract, that thought process will be in their head,' Arzani said. 'It's a big deal the World Cup. It's massive. Everyone wants to be a part of it. 'It's going to be very competitive (for selection). We know we've got a lot of talent as well coming out of Australia, so it's definitely important that if I go somewhere (abroad), that I'll be playing week in, week out. 'I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, what direction I'm heading in, but that's definitely part of the equation. It's something that I'll consider. for sure.' Feeling fresh after a long flight. ðŸ'� @mitchduke8 says the boys have acclimatised well and are raring to go after their first session in Jeddah. 🇸🇦 v 🇦🇰 - 11.6.25, 4:15am AEST ðŸ'±ðŸ'»ðŸ'°: Paramount+ ðŸ'»: ABC Radio via the ABC Listen App #Socceroos #KSAvAUS — Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 8, 2025 Arzani said being chosen for the Socceroos' 2026 World Cup squad, should Australia qualify, would be 'a little bit more special' than his 2018 selection because this time he would have been involving in the qualifying campaign, which he wasn't before the tournament seven years ago. 'Being around such a good group of lads and really feeling that connection with everyone working towards one common goal is always a special feeling,' he said. 'You see the stuff that happens behind the scenes and the stresses, the pressures and everything involved with qualifying for a World Cup. 'It's such a massive deal, and it's something that I never experienced before. It has been a real eye-opener, and one that I'm really enjoying.'
