'Unbeaten advance' South Korea - 'No. 1 confirmed' Japan - 'First time ever' Uzbek → '6th consecutive elimination' China - '4th qualifying round' Saudi Arabia - 'No win' North Korea... Ends 3rd Asian qualifying round with mixed joy and sorrow
'Unbeaten advance' South Korea - 'No. 1 confirmed' Japan - 'First time ever' Uzbek → '6th consecutive elimination' China - '4th qualifying round' Saudi Arabia - 'No win' North Korea... Ends 3rd Asian qualifying round with mixed joy and sorrow
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With the end of the long third Asian qualifying round, countries that were on their way to the finals of the 2026 North-China World Cup had mixed feelings. The Korean national football team defeated Kuwait 4-0 in the final Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday. Having ended the journey with six wins and four draws (22 points), Korea achieved the first win in 16 years since the 2010 South African World Cup. It also achieved the tremendous feat of advancing to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times.메이저사이트
Most Asian powerhouses, including Korea, laughed. Japan, Korea's strong opponent, confirmed its No. 1 ranking in Group C in March, making it to the first place in the World Cup outside of the host country. In this June's A-match, Japan excluded a large number of its key players and even showed confidence to test new resources. Japan, which is currently ranked 15th by FIFA, is most likely to secure two ports in the World Cup. Australia, which advanced to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, also decided to advance to the finals by ranking second in Group C. In Group A, Iran passed the third preliminary round as No. 1. Iran showed stable performance except for its 0-1 defeat by Qatar, and succeeded in advancing to the World Cup finals for four consecutive times. Some countries have written a new history. Uzbekistan and Jordan finished second in Group A and Group B, respectively, to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time in history.
Some countries will remember the third Asian qualifying round. China ended the third Asian qualifying round with three wins and seven losses, but failed to advance to the World Cup finals for six consecutive times since the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan. From this year's World Cup, the number of countries that advance to the finals will increase from 32 to 48, and the number of Asian qualifiers will also increase from 4.5 to 8.5, indicating that China will be the most likely beneficiary. However, the team showed less-than-expected performance, and ended its journey in fifth place in the group. North Korea also finished sixth in Group A, failing to advance to the finals for the first time in 16 years since 2010. With three draws and seven losses, the North has never won a match along with Kuwait (five draws and five losses).
Some countries have to stage additional races to secure the chance to advance to the finals. The UAE and Qatar in Group A, Iraq and Oman in Group B, and Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in Group C will advance to the fourth preliminary round as the third and fourth places. Saudi Arabia, which has made it to the finals six times out of the last eight World Cups, will play an additional match by ranking third. On the other hand, Indonesia, which is aiming to advance to the World Cup for the first time in its history, will rank fourth, beating over China and Bahrain, and continue its last hope. The six countries that will participate in the fourth round will form a group of three countries, each aiming for a chance to advance to the finals in a single full league (a match against a country in the same group). The top-ranked team in each group will head to the World Cup finals, while the second-ranked team will be able to seek the last chance after the fifth round and intercontinental playoff. The third-ranked team in each group will be eliminated.