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Alsharq Tribune- M.Essam
Qatar and Saudi Arabia became the latest two Asian teams to have secured 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification on Tuesday.
Six teams were divided into two groups in the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers, with group winners directly qualifying for the World Cup.
Having beaten Oman 2-1 in Group A last Saturday, the United Arab Emirates could qualify with a draw against Qatar, which had played out a 0-0 stalemate with Oman last week.
After a goalless first half, the 2022 World Cup host went ahead straight after the break, when Akram Afif's free kick was headed home by Boualem Khoukhi, before Pedro Miguel made it 2-0 from another Afif assist in the 74th minute.
Qatar was reduced to ten men when Tarek Salman saw red in the 89th minute. The UAE then pulled one back in stoppage time, setting up a tense finale, but Qatar held its nerve to secure its second World Cup finals appearance.
Elsewhere, in a head-to-head for the top spot of Group B, Saudi Arabia only needed a draw against Iraq to qualify by virtue of having scored more goals against the group's other team, Indonesia.
Despite dominating possession and having a series of goalscoring opportunities, Saudi Arabia failed to break Iraq's defense, while the latter also saw an injury-time free kick saved by goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi. A 0-0 result took Saudi Arabia to its third consecutive World Cup and its seventh overall.
Iraq and the UAE now face each other in a two-legged playoff next month, with the winner advancing into the inter-confederation playoffs in March 2026.
