The third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday, marking a crucial stage for teams in their quest to secure a spot in the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighteen teams remain in the Asian qualifiers, divided into three groups of six, with the top two teams from each group earning direct qualification to the World Cup.

South Korea, part of Group B, will aim to begin their campaign with a strong performance against Palestine in Seoul. The Koreans have endured a turbulent year, undergoing multiple coaching changes, and are now led by Hong Myung-bo, their fourth coach of the year. Captain Son Heung-min remains their key player, but the team is also looking to the future, bringing in Yang Min-hyeok, an exciting young talent set to join Son at Tottenham Hotspur in January.

Palestine, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing conflict in Gaza, have reached this stage of World Cup qualifying for the first time. Under the guidance of Tunisian coach Makram Daboub, they will hope to continue their progress after making it to the knockout rounds of the Asian Cup earlier this year.

 

In Group A, Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup, will face the United Arab Emirates at home. Qatar and Iran are considered the favorites in this group, which also includes Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.

Group C presents a more challenging landscape. Japan will host old rivals China, while Australia takes on Bahrain at home. Saudi Arabia, under new coach Roberto Mancini, will play Indonesia in Jeddah. Japan, currently the highest-ranked team in Asia at 18th in the world, enters the qualifiers with confidence, especially with the return of Kaoru Mitoma, who is expected to play a significant role after recovering from injury.

China, on the other hand, barely made it to this stage and will be aiming to surprise under Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic. The third round of qualifying will conclude in June, with teams finishing third and fourth in each group still having a chance to reach the World Cup through a fourth qualifying round.

South Korea's memorable run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, which they co-hosted with Japan, remains the best performance by an Asian team in World Cup history.