As the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday, Son Heung-min’s South Korea will face Palestine, while Japan will host their traditional rivals, China. The World Cup, set to expand to 48 teams, will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In this round, the 18 remaining Asian teams are divided into three groups of six, playing home and away matches. The top two teams from each group will secure a spot in the World Cup.
South Korea, aiming to overcome a challenging year both on and off the pitch, will kick off their campaign against Palestine in Seoul in Group B. The group also includes Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, and Asian Cup runners-up Jordan. With Jurgen Klinsmann dismissed in February and two interim managers before him, South Korea’s fourth coach of the year, Hong Myung-bo, will lead the team.
Skipper Son Heung-min is expected to be a key player, while Hong is also focusing on future talent, including 18-year-old Yang Min-hyeok, who will join Tottenham Hotspur in January.
“We won’t have much time to practice before these qualifying matches,” said Hong, who previously managed South Korea at the 2014 World Cup. “To advance further, we need to work harder and continue developing young talent to be more competitive.”
Palestine, making their debut at this stage of qualifying despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, will be led by Tunisian coach Makram Daboub. Palestine reached the knockout stages of the Asian Cup for the first time earlier this year but were eliminated by Qatar, who went on to win the tournament.
In Group A, Qatar, the 2022 World Cup hosts, will begin their qualifying campaign against the United Arab Emirates. Qatar and Iran are expected to be strong contenders for the World Cup spots, with Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea also in the group.
Group C is shaping up to be highly competitive. In the opening matches of this group, Japan will face China, while Australia will host Bahrain. Meanwhile, ambitious Saudi Arabia, coached by Italian Roberto Mancini, will welcome Indonesia to Jeddah.
Japan and Australia both advanced from the second qualifying round with perfect records and no goals conceded. Japan, currently the highest-ranked team in Asia at 18th in the world, impressed at the 2022 World Cup under coach Hajime Moriyasu, defeating Spain and Germany before being eliminated by Croatia in the last 16 on penalties. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, who has been in dazzling form, returns to the squad after overcoming recent injury issues.
China, having progressed to the third qualifying round due to a superior head-to-head record over Thailand, have qualified for the World Cup only once, in 2002. Their Croatian coach, Branko Ivankovic, has warned that Japan, despite being favorites, will face a tough challenge in their match in Saitama.
The third qualifying round will conclude in June, and the teams finishing third and fourth in each group will advance to the fourth qualifying round. South Korea’s run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, which they co-hosted with Japan, remains the best performance by an Asian team in the tournament’s history.
