MUSCAT, JUNE 27
Oman National football team were drawn in a balanced group when they were grouped alongside with South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and Kuwait in group B at the deciding stage of Asian qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup 2026. The draw was held at the AFC Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Red Warriors will start their actual preparations for the final stage of the qualifiers by an overseas camp in Spain from July 3 to 24.
AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar will compete in group A that see top seeds Iran, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea. The tough challenge will be in group C which is comprised from Asian heavyweights Japan, who are seeking to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the eighth consecutive time, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
Tough Teams
Ali al Khanbashi, from the coaching staff of the national team, said that all the teams which reached to this stage are well known and tough teams. “I believe all the participating teams in this deciding stage will fight to seal spot to advance into the FIFA World Cup 2026. We need to focus on certain areas in the forthcoming domestic and abroad camps to reach into the desired readiness level and compete the other teams,”
“ The coaching staff will work hard to prepare the players for the next matches and there are some new faces in the squad. We will build a competent squad mixed from experienced and youth faces who can play against any teams in the continent,” he ended
Equal draw
The former assistant head coach of the national team, Muhana Said, affirmed that the draw results were positive for Oman team. “ The main advantage from the draw is that the team will not have long distance travels except to South Korea which will be ten hours travel. Furthermore, the time difference among the teams in the group are close to Oman timing and this is another positive point. Our chances are good and South Korea will be the tough team in the group. Jordan and Iraq had showed top performances in the latest AFC Asian Cup and the joint qualifiers event. We need to concentrate on the home matches and capitalize all the factors in the home games including: fans support and the weather conditions beside any other positive factors,” he ended
Qulaifers format
The first two toppers from each of the three groups will secure direct spots at the FIFA World Cup 2026 while the third and fourth-placed teams from each group, six in total, will progress to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoff, to be contested in two groups of three teams in a single round robin format, with both group winners qualifying for the global showpiece. The two second-placed finishers from the Playoff will face off in a home and away tie to earn the right to reach the Intercontinental Playoff and vie for the final available berth. The Qualifiers games will kick off on September 5 with the final round of matches scheduled for June 10, 2025.
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