Battle for football’s World Cup survival reaches endgame for Asian nations
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Thailand's Supachok Sarachat during their 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with China at the Shenyang Olympic Sports Centre Stadium on June 6.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JAKARTA – Eleven nations will fight for the five remaining berths in the next phase of Asia’s preliminaries for the 2026 World Cup on June 11, with Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam all yet to determine their fate.
Regular World Cup qualifiers Japan, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Iran have already confirmed their progress, claiming spots among the 18 countries that will battle for the eight guaranteed berths at the Finals in two years’ time.
Asian Cup holders Qatar, as well as continental runners-up Jordan, have also advanced to a third round that will determine six of the spots available at the 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
China, looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since their debut in 2002, remain in a strong position to progress after Zhang Yuning’s late equaliser against Thailand on June 6.
“For us the qualifying tournament isn’t over yet,” said coach Branko Ivankovic after the 1-1 draw in Shenyang. “We will go all out in the next match and try to qualify for the next round.”
The Chinese face South Korea knowing a point will see off the challenge of the Thais, who need to defeat Singapore and hope to overhaul China’s superior goal difference to claim second place in Group C.
The Bangkok Post quoted coach Masatada Ishii as suggesting he might not start veteran striker Teerasil Dangda, second on Thailand’s list of all-time top scorers, and star playmaker Chanathip Songkrasin.
He said: “We have to learn from the mistakes we made in the China match... I need some more time to make up my mind whether to play with Mui (Teerasil) and Jay (Chanathip) in Tuesday’s match or not.
“I think we will be better off opting for fitter players with better stamina. Let’s see how things go in training.”
India find themselves in a more precarious position ahead of their Group A meeting with Qatar as Igor Stimac leads his team into their first game since the retirement of captain Sunil Chhetri knowing they must win.
Third-placed Afghanistan are level on five points with the Indians and they travel to play Kuwait with both nations harbouring their own qualification dreams.
Indonesia host the Philippines looking for a win to see off Vietnam’s challenge for second spot in Group F behind already-qualified Iraq, while Syria face Japan hoping for a positive result as they attempt to hold off North Korea in Group B.
Said Iraq striker Aymen Hussein: “Beating Vietnam is not our only goal. We also want to improve our position in the Fifa rankings.”
Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, will confirm their progress to the third round ahead of Malaysia if they do not fall to a heavy defeat against Group D leaders Oman in Muscat.
The draw for the third round will take place in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, when the qualifiers will be placed into three groups of six.
The top two in each group will advance to the Finals with the third- and fourth-placed finishers progressing to a fourth round, where the winners of two further spots will be determined.
An intercontinental play-off also featuring teams from Africa, South America and Oceania could see a ninth Asian federation qualify for the tournament. REUTERS
