Asia's eight teams: Japan's bold Group F, Iran's breakthrough bid
A record eight Asian teams qualified. Group-by-group look at Japan, Korea, Iran and more.
Asia received eight direct berths for 2026—Japan, Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Qatar, Jordan and Uzbekistan among the qualifiers—making this a benchmark World Cup for the confederation.
Japan (Group F) face the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia. Previewers (Al Jazeera, ESPN) rate Japan as Asia's strongest side—Kubo, Mitoma, Endo and Suzuki headline a Europe-heavy squad that upset Germany and Spain in 2022. Many tip Japan and the Netherlands to top the group.
Korea (Group A) meet Mexico, South Africa and Czechia—tough with a co-host in the mix. Korea remain Asia's only semi-finalists (2002) but arrive with muted local expectations per BBC reporting.
Iran (Group G) vs Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Beating Egypt and New Zealand could yield Iran's first ever round-of-16 berth; Mehdi Taremi leads the line.
Others: Saudi Arabia in a brutal Group H with Spain; Australia in Group D with the USA; Qatar in Group B; Jordan in Group J with Argentina; debutants Uzbekistan in Group K with Portugal.
Track fixtures and groups; team hubs at teams.
Summarized from Al Jazeera, BBC and ESPN—not AFC official analysis.