Australia booked their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in their decisive Asia qualifying clash. This marks the Socceroos' sixth straight appearance at football's global showpiece.
The hosts fell behind in the 19th minute when Abdulrahman Al Oboud slotted home, but Australia rallied after the break. Midfielder Connor Metcalfe leveled the score before veteran striker Mitchell Duke fired the winner, ensuring a comfortable margin above the five-goal threshold they needed to secure qualification.
Asia's Final Qualifying Round in Numbers
In this third and final stage of Asia's qualifiers, 18 teams were divided into three groups of six, with the top two from each group booking direct spots at the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Here's the roll call of qualifiers:
- Australia (Group A winners)
- Jordan
- Uzbekistan
- Iran
- Japan (Group C winners)
- South Korea (Group B winners)
Japan sealed their eighth consecutive World Cup berth with a comprehensive 6-0 home win against Indonesia. Daichi Kamada opened the scoring in Osaka, followed by a quick-fire double from Takefusa Kubo and another Kamada strike. Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and Mao Hosoya added their names to the scoresheet after the break.
Meanwhile, the South Korea team secured an 11th straight World Cup appearance with a 4-0 triumph over Kuwait at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Goals from Jeon Jin-Woo, Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyeon-Gyu and Lee Jae-Sung wrapped up a dominant campaign.
Next Steps for Asia's Remaining Hopefuls
The six teams finishing third and fourth in their groups now have another shot at qualification in October. Oman joined Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia in that fourth-round mini-league after a 1-1 draw with Palestine.
With Asia's path set, fans can start gearing up for what promises to be one of the biggest World Cups in history.
Reference(s):
Australia qualify for World Cup 2026 with 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia
cgtn.com
