The players will now focus on their club commitments before converging again in June for the final two rounds of matches.
Slots being filled
Six of the slots for the next phase of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers were filled with Australia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan and United Arab Emirates confirming their spots, which also meant tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027. That leaves 12 Round 3 places to be decided when the action resumes in June.
New head coaches in June?
As many as 10 teams were led by new head coaches when the Joint Qualifiers resumed last Thursday and at least two sides will have new faces in charge in June with Korea Republic expected to name a permanent tactician in place of interim head coach Hwang Sun-hong while Vietnam will seek a replacement for Philippe Troussier after deciding to part ways with the French tactician.
Indonesia on the rise
Two consecutive wins over regional rivals Vietnam have left Indonesia well placed to secure progression, making them ASEAN’s best performing team after four matchdays. Shin Tae-yong’s side sit on seven points in Group F, four ahead of Vietnam. A win against group leaders Iraq or Philippines in June will secure their berths in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
Awesome Qatar
As far as goals were concerned, the mercurial Akram Afif had a quiet night but that didn’t stop Qatar from clinching a fourth consecutive win with all-time top scorer Almoez Ali stepping up in the 2-1 victory over Kuwait. A dizzy three-minute spell saw the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 MVP and top scorer netting in the 77th minute, only for Mohammad Daham to draw Kuwait level two minutes later. Ali, however, had the final say, scoring the winner a minute later.
Hardy Tajikistan keep Saudi Arabia waiting
Tajikistan felt they had deserved more from their Matchday Three defeat against Saudi Arabia and the Central Asian side proved their point by holding the three-time AFC Asian Cup winners 1-1 on Tuesday. The result not only kept Tajikistan in the race for progression but also meant Saudi Arabia have to wait till, at least, Matchday Five to confirm their spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
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