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Matchday Three of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 lived up to expectations with scintillating action on Thursday, March 21.
As the teams traverse the continent for Tuesday’s next round of games, AFC Media takes a look at five things we learned from Matchday Three.
National service convinces Son to change his mind
Son Heung-min admitted he contemplated retiring from international football following South Korea’s turbulent AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 campaign but changed his mind after speaking with compatriot and former Manchester United star Park Ji-sung.
The Tottenham Hotspur star’s decision led to him scoring his 45th international goal in the 1-1 draw with Thailand on Thursday, placing him third on the all-time South Korea list and if he features in Tuesday’s reverse fixture, he will move into the sole possession of fourth place with 125 caps. Former stars Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo share the lead with 136 appearances.
Akram Afif stays hot
The mercurial Akram Afif was a major reason why Qatar successfuly defended their AFC Asian Cup title in February and the winger looks determined to power the West Asian side to FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification.
The Al Sadd star carried his form from the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, where he was crowned the MVP and Top Scorer, scoring twice in his team’s 3-0 defeat of Kuwait as Qatar made it three wins out of three.
And then there were four
South Korea’s 1-1 draw with Thailand means they are the second of Asia’s six representatives at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to lose their perfect record in the Joint Qualifiers.
Iran were the first, having been held 2-2 by Uzbekistan on Matchday Two. Happily for both, they remain top of their respective groups.
Round 3 and Saudi Arabia 2027 beckon
Qatar (Group A), Iran, Uzbekistan (both Group E), Iraq (Group F), Saudi Arabia (Group G), United Arab Emirates (Group H) and Australia (Group I) could seal their berths in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals with wins on Matchday Four. Some, however, will need the result in the other match in their respective groups to go their way to confirm their spots with two matches to spare.
Group D thriller
While clear favourites have emerged in eight of the nine groups, Thursday’s results indicate that Group D will go down to the wire after Oman defeated Malaysia and Kyrgyz Republic beat Chinese Taipei.
That left Oman, Kyrgyz Republic and Malaysia tied on six points, setting the stage for not just blockbusters in Tuesday’s reverse fixtures but also for Matchdays Five and Six in June.
