AIPS ASIA News:

The six teams still in the running for FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification will discover their remaining battle paths at the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Playoffs draw at 3 pm on July 17, 2025 (Thursday), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Six of the eight direct berths on offer to Asia have already been claimed following the conclusion of the third qualifying round last month, which featured three groups of six teams. The third and fourth-placed sides from each of those groups — Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — will get another shot via the Playoffs, which is scheduled for October 8 to 14.
 
The draw will divide the cast into two groups of three teams, with only the winners sealing progress to next year’s global showpiece. Each group will be played in a single round-robin format in a centralised venue — the Qatar Football Association and Saudi Arabian Football Federation were confirmed as the Host Member Associations last month.
 
Oman is the only side hunting a historic maiden FIFA World Cup appearance, with Indonesia, Iraq, and UAE aiming to qualify for a second time each, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia will hope to make it back-to-back participations.
 
The seeding for the draw will be based on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking for AFC Member Associations that was specially announced by FIFA on June 13, 2025, to be utilised for the Draw. The teams will be placed into three pots as below: Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as Host Associations, will be drawn into different groups during the ceremony.
 
Pot 1: Qatar (FIFA Rank: 53), Saudi Arabia (58)
Pot 2: Iraq (59), United Arab Emirates (66)
Pot 3: Oman (79), Indonesia (118)
 
Upon the conclusion of the Playoffs Group Stage, the runners-up of each group will square off in a two-legged showdown across November 13 and 18. This Knockout Stage will determine the Continent’s representative at the FIFA Play-Off Tournament, which offers one final qualifying opportunity. A draw to decide the host team of each leg in the Knockout Stage will be conducted following the Playoffs Group Stage draw.

Courtesy AFC