MUSCAT, JULY 17
Oman will face the hosts Qatar and UAE teams in Group A to realise their historical dream of making it to the World Cup Qatar 2026 after the draw of AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoffs draw was made at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. The matches to be played in a single round-robin format scheduled for October 8 to 14 in Doha at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium at Al Sadd Club. The hosts of Group B Saudi Arabia will play against Iraq and Indonesia. Oman team delegation in the draw event headed by Ali al Kathiri, Oman Football Association (OFA) board member and Waleed al Numani, head of the national teams.
The topper from each group will join the six Asian nations including: Australia, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Iran and Uzbekistan which have already confirmed their spots at the finals of next year's global showpiece while the second-placed teams from both groups 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 Playoff Tournament, which offers one final qualifying opportunity.
Oman will meet Qatar in the opener on October 8 and then they will face UAE on October 11. All the matches will be held at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium at Al Sadd Club. In group B, Saudi Arabia will meet Indonesia in the opening match on October 8 while Iraq to meet Indonesia on October 11. Saudi Arabia and Iraq will have a tough clash on October 14. All the matches will take place at King Abdullah Sport City stadium in Jeddah.
Oman, under leadership of the newly appointed head coach Carlos Queiroz, will eye to make the debut appearance at the global showpiece in the forthcoming year. Oman, finished fourth in the previous qualification phase, will look for a different show and ensure registering into the history by securing direct spot. The hosts Qatar will target for the second straight presence in the Fifa World Cup following their hosts in 2022. Qatar team managed to reach into this stage of the qualifiers as the ended fourth in Group A of the third round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers. In the other side UAE, finished third in Group A, are seeking for a return to the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
Saudi Arabia, looking for a third consecutive and seventh overall appearance at the Finals, will enter the playoffs after finishing third in Group C of the previous round. Iraq, whose only World Cup appearance came in 1986, qualified after securing third place in Group B while Indonesia, making a return to the global stage for the first time since their lone appearance in 1938, advanced by finishing fourth in Group C.
Group A: Qatar (H), UAE and Oman
Group B: Saudi Arabia (H), Iraq and Indonesia
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