With several more teams having confirmed their spots in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and booked their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, Tuesday will see last-ditch efforts by those still in the running.
The-AFC.com highlights five things to look out for on Matchday Six.
۵ berths up for grabs
Another six spots were filled on Thursday, with Korea Republic, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and Palestine joining Qatar, Japan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Australia who had confirmed their berths after Matchday Four.
Only five slots remain available with the second spots from Groups A, B, C, D and F to be decided on Tuesday.
Super Son
Son Heung-min may be approaching the twilight years of his career but his importance to Korea Republic continues to grow.
The skipper netted twice in the 7-0 win over Singapore on Thursday to take his tally to a joint-high seven, having scored at least once in each of their five matches as Korea Republic – despite having been managed by three different head coaches – remain on course for an 11th successive appearance at the FIFA World Cup Finals.
Unbreachable defences
Australia and Japan booked their spots with relative ease and their success is due not just to potent attackers but also solid defences, with both teams yet to concede.
Both sides face one final test, with Japan to host a Syria side who have to better DPR Korea’s result while Australia face a buoyant Palestine looking forward to their first ever appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Chasing history
Five teams will be bidding to qualify for the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time – India and Afghanistan (both Group A), Kyrgyz Republic and Malaysia (Group D) and Indonesia (Group F).
Although Indonesia (then known as the Dutch East Indies) played in the 1938 FIFA World Cup, they have never featured in the third round of the qualifiers in its current format.
Lebanon miss out; China PR, Syria, Vietnam, in danger
Eight of the 12 teams who qualified for the third round of the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have booked their spots for the same stage of the 2026 edition.
Syria (Group B), China PR (Group C) and Vietnam (Group F) will be desperate to avoid the fate of Lebanon who have no chance of advancing from Group I with Australia and Palestine having confirmed the top two spots respectively.