FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers: Qatar loses to UAE; Saudi Arabia draws 1-1 with Indonesia

UAE and Iran Win, Saudi Arabia Held to Draw in World Cup Qualifiers

Qatar lost 3-1 to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia lost 1-1 to Indonesia, while six-time qualifiers Iran beat visitors Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in a dramatic start to the third round of the FIFA World Cup in Asia. Cup 2026 qualification on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia, who play in Group C, struggled despite playing on home soil, with Indonesia debutant goalkeeper Morton Pays having his 79th-minute penalty saved by Salem Al-Tawsari.

Rangar Oradmangoyan gave the Southeast Asians a surprise lead after 19 minutes with a deflected shot, but Mussab Al-Juweir equalized three minutes into first-half stoppage time.

Iraq top Group B after beating Oman 1-0 in Basra thanks to Ayman Hussain’s header. The other two teams in Group B, Jordan and Kuwait, were held to a 1-1 draw in Amman.

In Group A, the UAE beat Qatar 3-1 with Ibrahim Al-Hassan’s 38th-minute opener behind.

But goals from Harib Abdullah, Khaled Ibrahim and Ali Saleh in the final quarter of the game sealed the visitors’ victory against the Asian Cup winners.

Mehdi Taremi’s 34th-minute goal saw Iran beat Kyrgyzstan, while Jalilodin Marsharibo’s strike earned Uzbekistan three points as they beat North Korea 1-0 in Tashkent.

The top two from each of the three groups advance directly to the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another round of qualifying.