TNN/AFC
Doha
The Qatar national football team intensified their preparations ahead of the opening third round clash of Asian Qualifiers for FIFA 2026 World Cup against the United Arab Emirates at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
The excitement for the match has been building up for a while and a packed house is expected with fans rooting for either sides.
A taste of their first ever World Cup in the last edition will have whetted Qatar’s appetite for more and the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions, who retained the crown in February after first winning it in 2019, head into their Group A opener off the back of a 13-match unbeaten streak (11 wins) in competitive internationals.
In contrast, United Arab Emirates had their sole qualification for the World Cup in 1990. They will be looking for their first victory against Qatar since 2015 in what will be the 34th international meeting between the duo, which will kick off at 7pm.
In a simultaneous kick-off of another Group A match, Iran, who have won 16 of 19 World Cup qualifiers on home soil will aim to extend the continent’s current longest unbeaten home run when they square off against the Kyrgyzstan.
Team Melli are targeting a fourth consecutive World Cup appearance and seventh overall, while the White Falcons have reached the third qualifying round at the fifth time of asking.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will have the opportunity now to banish the ghosts of 2014 qualifying where they missed out on a direct berth on goal difference. The White Wolves’ Group A journey begins at 7pm at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, where they will entertain North Korea in search of an eighth win in 11 international meetings.
Twice Asian champions Qatar after meeting UAE on September 5 in Doha will play North Korea on September 10 at the New Laos National Stadium in Laos.
Al Annabi will start the second leg by facing hosts the UAE on November 19 before hosting North Korea on March 20, 2025.
Qatar will take on Kyrgyzstan on March 25. The tie against Iran is on June 5, 2025. In the last match of the third stage, Qatar will take on Uzbekistan in Tashkent on June 10.
The teams will look to secure the six out of eight spots available for Asia as the top two sides from each group will directly qualify for the World Cup Finals to be staged in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, featuring 48 nations for the first time.
The remaining two berths will be decided through the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoff while an additional berth can be secured by an Asian team at an Intercontinental Playoff.AFC Asian Qualifiers: Road to FIFA World Cup 2026