Australia confirmed their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 comeback win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, sealing second place in Group C behind already-qualified Japan.
Needing only to avoid a five-goal defeat to book their ticket to the tournament, the Socceroos instead delivered a confident performance. Despite falling behind in the 19th minute to a close-range strike by Abdulrahman Al-Obud, the Australians quickly responded. Connor Metcalfe equalized just before halftime, and Mitch Duke gave Australia the lead three minutes after the restart by glancing home Martin Boyle’s free-kick.
Veteran goalkeeper Mat Ryan, marking his 100th cap, capped the night with a crucial late penalty save to deny Salem Al-Dawsari an equalizer.
“It is special. It probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” said head coach Tony Popovic, who took over in September after a shaky start to the final round of qualifying. “We’ve built a good foundation now, but we want to get better and do something special at the World Cup.”
Saudi Arabia, finishing third in Group C, will now move into a fourth-round qualification phase set for October, alongside Indonesia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Oman.
Oman kept their World Cup hopes alive with a dramatic 1-1 draw against Palestine in Amman. Trailing after Oday Kharoub’s header in the 49th minute and reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card for Harib Al-Saadi, Oman salvaged a point deep into stoppage time. A foul on Muhsen Al-Ghassani led to a last-gasp penalty, calmly converted by Issam Al-Sabhi, breaking Palestinian hearts and securing fourth place in Group B for the Gulf side.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan emphatically topped Group C with a 6-0 demolition of Indonesia in Osaka, with Daichi Kamada scoring twice in the first half. Iran secured top spot in Group A after a 3-0 win over North Korea, netting all three goals in the final 16 minutes after Kye Tam was sent off. Mehdi Mohebi, Mehdi Taremi, and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh were all on the scoresheet.
Uzbekistan sealed second place in Group A with a 3-0 victory over Qatar in Tashkent, while the UAE claimed third in the same group despite a 1-1 draw with Kyrgyzstan.
South Korea finished Group B in style with a 4-0 win over Kuwait, maintaining their unbeaten run. Already-qualified Jordan finished second in the group, despite a 1-0 home loss to Iraq, managed by Australia’s Graham Arnold.
As Asia’s third round of qualifying concludes, attention now shifts to October’s decisive playoff stage, where six teams will battle for the final Asian spot at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
