Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2025: Saudi Arabia and Qatar will host the Asian qualifying playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Asian Football Confederation.
The third and fourth-placed teams from the qualifiers that ended last week – Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – will form two groups and play from October 8-14. The draw will take place on July 17.
Group winners will take the two remaining automatic places for Asia at the World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The runners-up from each group will play two matches on November 13 and 18, with the winners qualifying for the inter-confederations playoffs.
Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan and Australia have already qualified through the AFC.
Meanwhile, this year’s Saudi Super Cup featuring Al-Ittihad, Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr will be held in Hong Kong. Matches will take place from August 19-23 at the Hong Kong Stadium.