2026 World Cup qualifiers: Home advantage for Saudi Arabia, Qatar

Kaula Lumpur: The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for six Asian hopefuls became clearer on Thursday, July 17, as Saudi Arabia and Qatar secured crucial home advantage in the draw for the fourth round of Asia's qualification campaign. This stage will determine the continent's final two automatic berths for the expanded tournament to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The draw, held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, saw the six remaining nations divided into two groups of three, with matches set to be played in a centralised format across October 8-14, 2025.

Qatar will host Group A, which features the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will welcome Iraq and Indonesia into Group B. Both host nations will be looking to capitalise on their home support in this critical phase.

The stakes are high: the winner of each round-robin group will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Asia has already seen six teams secure their spots last month: regional powerhouses Japan, Iran, South Korea, and Australia, alongside first-time qualifiers Jordan and Uzbekistan.

For the teams that finish second in their respective groups, the journey will continue to the fifth round of Asian qualifiers. The two runners-up will face each other in a two-legged playoff in November 2025. The victor of this matchup will then advance to the inter-confederation playoffs, scheduled for March 2026, offering one final opportunity to book a place at the global showpiece.

Football fans across Asia now keenly await the October clashes, as these six nations battle it out for the coveted World Cup spots.

With inputs from AP