18 teams have qualified for the decisive third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, with the conclusion of the final sixth round of the second stage on Tuesday.

These 18 teams have also reserved their places in the 2027 Asian Cup in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Nine Arab teams were among the teams that qualified for the final round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.

The other nine teams are: Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Australia, China, Kyrgyzstan.

As the Asian Football Confederation announced, the draw for the third round in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup will take place on Thursday, June 27, 2024.

The 18 teams qualifying for the decisive third round will be distributed into three groups, with six teams in each group, where the first and second places from each group qualify directly to the 2026 World Cup, while the third and fourth places from each group will compete in an Asian playoff. .

The group stage competitions of the Asian playoff will take place between October and November 2025 in one location, where the six teams are divided into two groups of three teams. The first-place finishers in each group qualify directly for the World Cup, while the second-place finishers in each group qualify for one elimination match, the winner of which advances to the continental playoff qualifiers.