The race for tickets to the 2026 World Cup in Asia is intense: Holding our breath waiting for Indonesia

Hot table A and B

Uzbekistan host Iran at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, which could change the course of Group A. Both teams have six points, with Uzbekistan beating the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Kyrgyzstan in their first two matches; Iran winning against Kyrgyzstan and the UAE. This promises to be a fierce match as the two teams have met twice in the second qualifying round and both matches ended in draws. If one or both teams drop points, the remaining teams in Group A will look to take advantage of the opportunity to move up.

Indonesia (right) is attracting attention for its rapid progress.

UAE, who lost 1-0 to Iran after an impressive 3-1 win over Qatar in their opening game, will host DPR Korea, who are also in need of points after only a draw in their first two games. Qatar, aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, are also in need of points after losing to UAE and drawing with DPR Korea. They face Kyrgyzstan, who are without a point after two defeats in their first appearance in the third round of World Cup qualifying.

The situation in Group B is even more tense because Jordan, South Korea and Iraq all have 4 points after 2 matches and the remaining teams still have a chance to compete for direct tickets to Canada, Mexico and the US. Jordan will host South Korea in a match where the Korean team is determined to "pay back" for the 2 heavy defeats in the last encounter with this West Asian opponent. Most recently, in the semi-final of the 2023 Asian Cup, Jordan defeated South Korea to advance to the final of this tournament for the first time in history. If 1 or 2 teams lose, they will wait for the result from Iraq, who welcome Palestine (1 point) to Basra. Oman also hopes to end a 2-match losing streak when hosting Kuwait (2 points) at home.

Indonesia continues to be an unknown quantity

Indonesia continues to attract attention in Group C after 2 draws against strong opponents Saudi Arabia and Australia. Coach Shin Tae-yong's team will visit Bahrain (3 points) in the 3rd match and if they get points, they can surpass the achievements of Thailand and Vietnam in this qualifying round (Thailand won 2 points, while Vietnam has 4 points). Not only that, if they get points in Riffa, Indonesia will be closer to a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Previously, President of the Indonesian Football Federation Erick Thohir set a target of 15 points to at least be able to enter the top 4 of Group C (the top 2 teams will get direct tickets, while the 3rd and 4th ranked teams will be divided into groups to play in the 4th qualifying round).

In this group, Japan has impressed in the first two matches. Coach Hajime Moriyasu's team will take a big step towards the 2026 World Cup if they win all two of their next matches. The team from the land of the rising sun will face Saudi Arabia (4 points) on the evening of October 10 and then host Australia. All three are familiar opponents and have met each other recently. Australia is in a worse situation with only 1 point after 2 matches. Australia will host China in Adelaide and it will also be a difficult challenge because the East Asian opponent is hungry for points after losing 2 matches.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuoc-dua-tranh-ve-du-world-cup-2026-tai-chau-a-gay-can-nin-tho-cho-indonesia-185241008215957262.htm