World Cup Qualifiers draw: Qatar await opponents with eye on history

Doha, Qatar: Two time Asian champions Qatar will discover their opponents in quest of history as stage is set for the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Asian...

Doha, Qatar: Two-time Asian champions Qatar will discover their opponents in quest of history as stage is set for the FIFA World Cup 2026 – AFC Asian Qualifiers Round 3 draw, which takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The 18 teams, which advanced from the Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers, will know their fate as today’s draw will determine the three groups of six teams each.   These teams will look to secure the six out of eight spots available for Asia as the top two sides from each group will directly qualify for the World Cup Finals to be staged in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, featuring 48 nations for the first time. The Qualifiers will be played from September 2024 to June 2025. 

The remaining two berths will be decided through the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoff while an additional berth can be secured by an Asian team at an Intercontinental Playoff.   Coached by Marquez Lopez, Qatar – ranked 35th in the world – have fancied their chances of qualifying for the FIFA showpiece for first time ever after a string of outstanding performances this year.  They sealed their second straight Asian Cup crown besides finishing on top of their group after an unbeaten run in the second qualifying round for the World Cup. Al Annabi had made their World Cup debut two years ago as the home side.          Lopez now also has a better idea of his bench strength after he tested many youngsters in Qatar’s last two games against Afghanistan and India by resting his key players including forwards Akram Afif and Almoez Ali. 

The 18 teams have been seeded into six pots for the draw according to the latest FIFA rankings as of June 20:

Pot 1: Japan (17), Islamic Republic of Iran (20), Korea Republic (22) Pot 2: Australia (23), Qatar (35), Iraq (55) Pot 3: Saudi Arabia (56), Uzbekistan (62), Jordan (68) Pot 4; United Arab Emirates (69), Oman (76), Bahrain (81) Pot 5: China PR (88), Palestine (95), Kyrgyz Republic (101) Pot 6: DPR Korea (110), Indonesia (134), Kuwait (137)*FIFA rankings in brackets