Second Round Of 2026 World Cup Qualification In The Asian Zone Completed, 18 Teams To The Third Round

The Indonesian national team debuted in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers (VOI/Ferry Tri Adi).

JAKARTA - The second round of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualification has been completed. A total of 18 teams made sure to step into the third round.

The second round of qualifiers featured nine groups consisting of four teams each. Six matchdays each group will be held in the range from November 16, 2023 to June 11, 2024.

The Indonesian national team (Group F), North Korea (Group B), China (Group C), Kuwait (Group A), and Kyrgyzstan became the last five teams to ensure tickets for the third round of qualification.

Interestingly, there were three teams that made their debut in the third round of World Cup Qualification, namely Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Palestine.

The draw for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification will be held at the AFC House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 27, 2024.

A total of 18 teams will be divided into three groups. Champions and group runners-up aka six slots will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup finals.

The remaining two places are contested through the fourth round. In the fourth round, the third and fourth place in the third round will be divided into two groups, each winner of the automatic group of the Tmapil at the 2026 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the 18 teams that advanced to the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers were also confirmed to secure tickets to the 2027 Asian Cup.

Six places for the 2027 Asian Cup finals will be contested through the qualifying path. The round will be divided into six groups.

Participants came from 18 teams that did not qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers plus Bhutan, Maldives, and Laos, as well as three winners of the qualifying playoffs, namely Sri Lanka vs Cambodia, Timor Leste vs Mongolia, and Brunei vs Macau.

List 18 Teams To Third Round Of World Cup Qualification 2026

1. Australia

2. Bahrain

3. China

4. Indonesia

5. Iran

6. Iraq

7. Japan

8. Jordan

9. Kuwait10. Kyrgyzstan

11. North Korea

12. Oman

13. Palestine

14. Qatar

15. Saudi Arabia

16. South Korea

17. United Arab Emirates

18. Uzbekistan