Japan and South Korea are both aiming to take crucial steps toward securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup over the next week with key away fixtures.

Japan, currently leading their group in the third Asian qualifying round, faces a tough challenge in back-to-back away matches. First, they will travel to Indonesia on Friday for a match at the packed Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, followed by a trip to China in Xiamen on Tuesday. Despite Japan's strong position at the top of Group C, coach Hajime Moriyasu acknowledges the difficulties of playing away, especially against these teams who are still in contention for the third and fourth spots in the group, which would lead to a further qualifying stage. Japan, five points ahead of second-place Australia and Saudi Arabia, will be hoping to maintain their lead, especially with the absence of injured striker Ayase Ueda, while Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi has been recalled for the first time in a year.

South Korea, led by Son Heung-min, is in a similarly strong position at the top of Group B, with a three-point lead. They will face Kuwait in Kuwait City on Thursday and then travel to Jordan to face Palestine next week. South Korea's coach Hong Myung-bo has expressed caution, highlighting that even though these teams are seen as underdogs, the matches will be challenging. Son returns to the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury and could have his playing time managed carefully by the coach in these games.

In Group A, Iran continues to lead, with Uzbekistan close behind. Iran will play North Korea in a match expected to be one-sided, while Uzbekistan will face Qatar in a critical game for both teams. The UAE, sitting in third place in the group, will host Kyrgyzstan as they look to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Saudi Arabia, under newly reappointed coach Hervé Renard, will also play an important match, facing Australia in Melbourne on Thursday. Both teams are on five points after four matches and need a win to stay on track for automatic qualification. Renard, who led Saudi Arabia to a historic victory over Argentina at the Qatar World Cup, will look to instill confidence in the squad after the sacking of Roberto Mancini.

Overall, the next week of qualifiers will be pivotal for several teams as they look to solidify their position in the race to the 2026 World Cup.