Only three months left before the resumption of the crucial 2026 WCQ in Asia, with 18 teams fighting for eight automatic slots.
Here’s the breakdown of group A of the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
Table of Contents
Iran
Amir Ghalenoei’s side is greatly aided by a number of advantages that enabled their impressive forms.
First, they are empowered by a group of golden talents that even from the time of Ali Daei could only wish. This is the reason why Iran is standing top of the table undefeated.
The star power of the duo Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi, combined with formidable defenders and goalkeepers like Alireza Beiranvand and Hossein Kanaanizadegan, ensured Iran’s campaign went smoothly.
(Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Second, Iran’s opponents aren’t strong enough to challenge. Qatar’s own faltering meant only Uzbekistan appeared to be the toughest foe to Iran in the qualifiers, having drawn twice in the previous round before yet another goalless draw earlier in this round.
But only a Golden Generation description and the lower qualities of opponents did Iran a disservice. The third, and major reason behind Iran’s ability to project its domination in the group is the team’s remarkable resilience.
In the first six matches, twice Iran had to play with only ten men, yet they were able to secure crucial points. The ability of Iran to play fair against their opponents despite numerical disadvantages cemented Iran’s powerful image in the qualifiers.
Uzbekistan
The Central Asian side is also marching to the finish line, even with some difficulties.
Throughout the first six games of the qualification campaign, Uzbekistan had acceptable performances. Four hard-fought wins, while far from convincing, cemented Uzbekistan’s second-place position.
Many Uzbeks could also express their grievances against Qatar, for their only defeat came in a very agonising decision made by the referee to extend the added time to 12 minutes, though the Uzbeks had remained firmly in control after that disheartening loss.
Slovenian manager Srečko Katanec, who guided his birth country to qualify for the first World Cup in 2002, appears to be the chosen one this time. His meticulous approach, balancing the team’s star power and strong backline, was immense in the team’s successes.
Uzbekistan’s defence, a chronic concern of the side for many years as it prevented the Uzbeks from reaching the dreamland multiple times, has been stabilised. With it, Uzbekistan has performed better than before and conceded fewer goals than in previous cycles.
United Arab Emirates
It’s hard to say if Al-Abyad is doing well.
One side, Paulo Bento’s team had twice defeated Asian champions Qatar, the latter a 5-0 party on home soil, with Brazilian Fábio Lima struck four times. Another side, the UAE appeared to be struggling when facing the likes of more formidable opponents like Iran, Uzbekistan and even North Korea.
Ten points from six matches sound okay for UAE supporters but their performances are somewhat oscillating between hot and cold; the team’s recently poor Gulf Cup showings, being eliminated from the group stages without a win, only confirmed their issues. They’re not weak but not strong enough to do something better.
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The daunting challenge now is can the UAE really stabilise itself. In order to qualify, the UAE have embarked on a program to naturalise players of non-Emirati origins, with Fábio Lima and Mackenzie Hunt such examples.
But naturalisation won’t address the difficult issues of overcoming fierce and competitive opponents. The shock draw at home to North Korea was a testament and if Al-Abyad aren’t careful, they risk falling behind.
Qatar
Just last year, Qatar crowned themselves champions for the second consecutive Asian Cup, rivalling South Korea’s record, and it appeared Qatar was about to be recognised as the new Asian power.
This time, the Maroons are arriving at the final fixtures of WCQ with a depressing mood and low expectations. A string of disastrous results, including heavy defeats to Iran and the UAE away, dashed Qatar’s momentum as they languished in fourth place.
Qatar’s defending record in this phase is currently the worst of all 18 participants, conceding 17, which is even worse than China, which lost 7-0 to Japan in the same round.
Akram Afif, the best player of Qatar in the team’s Asian Cup conquest last year, isn’t himself anymore. Almoez Ali, his partner, is struggling to find the fire.
Meanwhile, other key members like Meshal Barshaam, Ahmed Fathy and Bassam Al-Rawi are underperforming. This is compounded further by the Maroons’ terrible Gulf Cup campaign, crashing out of the group stages with no win.
These horrifying results resulted in the sacking of Bartholomé “Tintin” Márquez, who masterminded Qatar’s Asian Cup conquest. Succeeding Tintin is his assistant and former 2007 UEFA Cup finalist with Espanyol, Luis García. With only limited time, he will need to find a way how to galvanise his players to get back on track.
Kyrgyzstan
One of three debutants in the round, Kyrgyzstan faced a chastening reality when they struggled against more competitive opponents like their neighbours Uzbekistan or the West Asian representatives the UAE and Qatar, let alone Iran. Five out of six matches were handed in defeats for Maksim Lisitsyn’s side, a testament to the team’s inexperience.
Yet Kyrgyzstan did snatch an important win, which was the home game against North Korea, where Kyrgyzstan downed the East Asians despite being inferior in possession and shots.
It suggested that Kyrgyzstan were clearly on the right path and that could be repeated against the UAE and Qatar, teams that are currently unstable at the moment. If the Kyrgyz keep their heads cool and composed, the young Kyrgyz team can become highly dangerous.
North Korea
The Chollima had put up surprisingly brave and even fierce performances, and all six matches involving North Korea saw results ended only by a slim margin.
The problem is North Korea did not win any of these. Impressive draws against Qatar and the UAE were dissipated by a string of defeats to Iran, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The team had been unable to exploit their penalties, three earlier opportunities in the spot were all wasted.
Worsening their cause, North Korea also proved unable to capitalise from their one-man advantage; their defeats to Iran and Uzbekistan two months ago, despite their opponents playing with ten men, shattered North Korea’s campaign further.
What’s next for group A?
Iran will have the opportunity to book a place in North America in March if they can beat the UAE and Uzbekistan, and with the depth of Iran’s squad at the moment, qualification is just a matter of time.
Uzbekistan also appears to be on the right track as well. If they beat Kyrgyzstan at home, they can also have opportunities to grind down a possibly qualified Iran away too.
The Uzbeks have been Iran’s toughest opponents in this cycle and very likely the same will be repeated. If not, Uzbekistan will need to rely on their June calendar against the UAE and Qatar.
The UAE will need to demonstrate their quality after up-and-down showings in earlier matches. However, with daunting trips to Iran and North Korea in March, if they can’t prove their worth, their June fixtures will also show no mercy when they have to travel to Central Asia to face Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Qatar are in a downturn and the team’s ongoing crisis will only worsen if they can’t snatch points. This makes March and June fixtures deeply crucial for the Maroons, where they clearly know that only wins can salvage Qatar’s run, or they risk missing out on the World Cup.
Kyrgyzstan will be likely to aim for a playoff spot, but that also means collecting a maximum of ten in March and June. Qatar’s instability can offer the Kyrgyz a glimpse of opportunity in March, while the UAE’s similar issue can also be the chance to exploit.
North Korea will need a miracle to turn things around, and that also means winning at all costs in March and June.
Yet the team’s misfortunate in this phase doesn’t seem to be solved when North Korea is not even clear on what to do.
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