Afif delighted with Qatar’s qualification; Westwood targets bigger things for Afghanistan

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Afif delighted with Qatar’s qualification; Westwood targets bigger things for Afghanistan

Kuwait City: Captain Akram Afif was proud to see Qatar pass a tough Kuwait test to secure a 2-1 win that clinched their spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Tuesday.

All three goals were scored in a space of four minutes late in the game with Almoez Ali’s double doing the trick for the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions, confirming them as Group A winners with two matches to spare.

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Troussier parts ways with Vietnam

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Troussier parts ways with Vietnam

Hanoi: The Vietnam Football Federation has announced the departure of national team head coach Philippe Troussier after a 3-0 loss to Indonesia in the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Tuesday.

The 69-year-old Frenchman leaves the post with immediate effect and his departure comes less than a year after he took over as the full-time replacement for Park Hang-seo.

Casas pleased tweaks worked for Iraq; Shin proud of Indonesia’s improvement

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Casas pleased tweaks worked for Iraq; Shin proud of Indonesia’s improvement

Manila: Head coach Jesus Casas said learnings from the first meeting against Philippines paved the way for a 5-0 success on Tuesday that saw Iraq qualify for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ and reach the third Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Needing a late goal to secure a home win in Basra on Thursday, it was a completely different scenario at Rizal Memorial Stadium as Iraq raced to a 3-0 first half lead in a commanding performance which took them to a perfect 12 points. 

Hwang: Future bright for Korea Republic

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Hwang: Future bright for Korea Republic

Bangkok: Hwang Sun-hong bid farewell to Korea Republic comfortable in the knowledge that the East Asian side are on the verge of qualifying for the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and confirming their ticket to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

A 3-0 win over Thailand took Korea Republic, who have qualified for every edition of the FIFA World Cup since 1986, to 10 points leaving them only needing one more from their remaining two matches to confirm progression.
 
Lee Jae-sung, Son Heung-min and Park Jin-seop scored as Korea Republic bounced back in style after being 1-1 by Thailand in Thursday's reverse fixture. 

Arnold's half-time pep talk does the trick for Australia

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Arnold's half-time pep talk does the trick for Australia

Canberra: Graham Arnold's half-time pep talk galvanised Australia to a 5-0 win over Lebanon in their FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group I clash on Tuesday. 

Despite getting off to a fast start with Kusini Yengi giving them a second minute lead, Australia struggled to put away their chances for the remainder of the first half. 
 
Arnold's intervention at half-time sparked the reaction the head coach wanted, with an own goal doubling their lead two minutes into the restart.
 
Craig Goodwin then struck twice in between John Iredale scoring his first goal for Australia to confirm their place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 ticket. 

Round 2 - MD4: Results & Reports

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Round 2 - MD4: Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday Four of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ concluded on Tuesday with six teams confirming early progression.

Australia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and Qatar booked their places in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and also confirmed their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
 
The nine group winners and the respective runners-up advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, and at the same time seal their places at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
 
The other 18 teams from Round 2 will proceed directly to the third and final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifying. Stay updated on all the reaction from Tuesday's matches with the-AFC.com.