Overview
- Australia overturned an early deficit through Connor Metcalfe’s equaliser and Mitch Duke’s winner to clinch automatic qualification with a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia.
- Japan finished atop Group C after a 6-0 rout of Indonesia in Osaka, highlighted by a Daichi Kamada brace among six unanswered goals.
- South Korea sealed first place in Group B with a 4-0 win over Kuwait in Seoul, featuring strikes from Jeon Jin-woo, Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Lee Jae-sung.
- Earlier in the third round, Iran and Uzbekistan booked their World Cup berths with 3-0 victories over North Korea and Qatar, completing Asia’s five automatic qualifiers.
- The expanded 48-team World Cup will be hosted across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with the final two berths decided via inter-confederation playoffs in March 2026.