India’s forward #11 Sunil Chhetri reacts during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group B football match … [+]
European sides don’t start their 2026 FIFA World Cup journey for nine more months, but 15 Asian sides have already been eliminated, and another 13 sides will see their Road to 2026 end this international break.
The world’s most populous nation, India, hasn’t come close to a World Cup qualification since 1950, when they withdrew after qualifying by default. But despite scoring just two goals in Group A so far, India have a good chance this time of at least reaching the third qualifying round.
A defeat from a late penalty by Afghanistan in their game in March has made India’s position more precarious, but should India win against Kuwait in Kolkata this week, that might be enough to get through to the next round. India head coach Igor Stimac has said the match could “change the careers” of his players.
This international break will see India’s record goalscorer Sunil Chhetri’s last ever match for his country. Only three male players have scored more than Chhetri’s 94 international goals.
In Group B, Japan have cruised into round three, but the other spot is wide open with North Korea needing to beat Syria and at least draw against Myanmar. Crucially for North Korea, their two matches are both “home” games, although they are being played in Laos, not Pyongyang.
Should North Korea beat Syria, qualification could come down to goal difference, which could be controversial as North Korea only suffered a 3-0 loss as punishment for forfeiting their match against Japan in March. Given that Japan beat Syria 5-0 previously, that 3-0 scoreline could be an advantage if qualification goes down to goal difference.
China’s qualification hopes could come down to their match against Thailand, which China have scheduled to be played in Shenyang, in the far northeast of the country. Shenyang is seen as a “lucky” venue for China as it is where they secured qualification to the 2002 World Cup.
Should China fail to win in Shenyang, their qualification hopes could come down to their final match against South Korea, who are already effectively through to the next round but are on their third head coach of the year.
Kim Do-hoon will take charge for South Korea’s games against China and Singapore, where he previously managed Lion City Sailors before leaving after a ban for violent conduct. He replaces caretaker coach Hwang Sun-hong, who took over from Jurgen Klinsmann, but whose failure to reach the Olympics with the under-23 side made his position as senior team caretaker coach untenable.
Oman are likely to get through Group D with Malaysia needing a win over Kyrgyzstan, who they beat 4-3 in a spectacular comeback earlier in qualification, to have a realistic chance of reaching the next round. There’s nothing to play for in the final Group E matches with Iran and Uzbekistan already through.
Indonesia were one of the ten sides that won in the first qualifying round. Those ten sides usually struggle in the second round, but Indonesia are in a strong position to qualify to the third round along with Iraq from Group F after two wins against Vietnam in March.
Meanwhile Group G’s runners-up spot will likely be determined by the match between Jordan and Tajikistan, with Saudi Arabia already all-but-guaranteed a spot in the next round.
Australia made light work of Group I, but the runners-up spot will be decided in Qatar, where Palestine play Lebanon, with both sides forced to play their home matches in Qatar due to war and political instability. Lebanon have only scored one goal so far in qualifying, the fewest goals of any team still realistically in contention.
The top two sides in each group go into the third qualifying round, where teams play in three groups of six, with the top two sides progressing straight to the 2026 World Cup and the third and fourth place sides playing in the fourth-round playoffs.
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