Muscat: The draw for the Asian playoff round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, held on Thursday morning at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, resulted in exciting Arab matchups.
The draw placed our national team Oman in Group A alongside Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while Group B includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia.
The matches of Group A will be held in Qatar, while Saudi Arabia will host the matches of Group B.
The playoff matches will take place between October 8 and 14, with the first round scheduled for the 8th, the second on the 11th, and the final round on the 14th of the same month.
The top team from each group will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The runners-up from each group will face off in a two-legged playoff, with the winner advancing to the intercontinental playoff. According to the format, the runner-up from Group A will host the first leg, while the runner-up from Group B will host the second leg.
The AFC had previously outlined the playoff system, in which the third and fourth-placed teams from each of the three final round groups advanced, forming a pool of six teams. These teams were divided into two groups of three, with each group playing a single round-robin format.
The winner of each group will secure a spot in the World Cup, while the runners-up from both groups will meet in a direct playoff to determine who will represent Asia in the intercontinental playoff. That team will then face an opponent from another confederation such as Oceania or CONCACAF as per the previous qualifying system.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
