The national teams of Japan, South Korea, and Iran secured places in the 2026 World Cup after completing the first stage of the Asian qualifiers. Each of them gathered 13 points and leads in their qualifying groups, while the other teams are fighting for the second direct spot in the tournament.
Iran's national team (13 points) defeated North Korea with a score of 3:2, while their previous opponent Uzbekistan conceded to Qatar. The difference between Iran and Uzbekistan increased to three points.
The Emirati national team also increased their chances of qualifying for the World Cup by defeating Kyrgyzstan 3:0, raising their points total to 7. Qatar continues to fight for the second direct spot, defeating Uzbekistan and also gathering 7 points. The teams of Kyrgyzstan and North Korea were eliminated due to losses in the last stages.
In the group, the South Korean national team retains the lead after their victory over Kuwait 3:1. They gathered 13 points, surpassing Iraq and Jordan, who played to a draw. Oman won against Palestine and raised their score to 6 points.
The Japanese national team also continues to lead in their group (13 points), securing a victory over Indonesia with a score of 4:0. The gap between Japan and the second-place team increased to 7 points.
Saudi Arabia and China are in third place, each collecting 6 points. The Chinese national team suffered a loss to Bahrain and did not improve in this round. Indonesia is in last place.
In the first stage of the World Cup qualifiers in Asia, a total of 45 matches were held. There were 116 goals scored, averaging 2.5 goals per match.
The Japanese national team scored the most goals overall - 19. Next is South Korea with 11 and Qatar with 10 goals. The Japanese national team also has the best defense, conceding only one goal.
The Chinese national team is the most vulnerable in defense, conceding 13 goals in the first stage. They received 128 yellow and 11 red cards.
