Uzbekistan and Jordan made history on Thursday by qualifying for their first World Cup, while the pair will be joined in next year’s tournament by perennial participants South Korea.
Uzbekistan, one of the fastest-rising national teams in Asia, drew 0-0 with the UAE in Abu Dhabi to take the second automatic spot in Group A, although top place is still in play after already qualified Iran lost 1-0 to Qatar in Doha.
Heading into the third round’s final set of fixtures on Tuesday, Iran sit at the summit, two points ahead of Uzbekistan.
The top two teams in each of the three Asian groups go straight to the World Cup, while those finishing third and fourth –- the UAE and Qatar hold those slots in Group A –- enter a fourth round of qualifiers.
In Group B, South Korea confirmed their place in an 11th straight World Cup by defeating Iraq 2-0 in Basra.
The victory, sealed by second-half goals from Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu, means South Korea reclaim top spot from Jordan, whose 3-0 victory against Oman earlier on Thursday ultimately proved enough to secure their participation at the expanded 48-team showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II congratulated the team on social media.
“This historic qualification is well-deserved by our team, which includes stars and cadres of whom we are proud,” he wrote on X.
“Special thanks go to our loyal fans who have been our support and encouragement.”
Ali Olwin netted a hat-trick as the 2023 Asian Cup runners-up etched their name in the record books.
Iraq were reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Ali Al Hamadi’s foul on Cho Yu-min was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review.
Iraq sit third in Group B, with Oman and Palestine still able to progress to the fourth round of qualifying. Palestine, who defeated Kuwait 2-0 in Ardhiya, host Oman on Tuesday, while Iraq face Jordan in Amman.
Australia on brink
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Australia will go head-to-head on Tuesday for the second automatic spot in Group C.
Australia remain in pole position following their last-gasp win against group leaders Japan in Perth.
Defender Aziz Behich was the home hero in front of more than 57,000 fans, rifling into the corner in the 90th minute to give Tony Popovic’s side a crucial 1-0 victory.
“We know there’s room to grow and room to improve, but we’ve done something special tonight,” said Popovic, who saw his team outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side.
Saudi Arabia ensured the race for second place will go down to the wire courtesy of a 2-0 win against Bahrain in Riffa. Goals in either half from Musab Al Juwayr and Abdulrahman Al Obud saw Herve Renard’s men stay three points behind second-placed Australia.
However, the Saudis will have to win in Jeddah by five goals to leapfrog the Socceroos.
Popovic, who replaced Graham Arnold in the dugout in September, added: “We’ve all played a part in getting us to this point. We want to go to Saudi Arabia and really finish the job off.”
Also in Group C, Patrick Kluivert’s Indonesia kept alive their hopes of reaching a first World Cup since the country’s independence in 1945 with a 1-0 win over China.
That leaves Indonesia fourth in the group, one point behind Saudi. Ole Romeny scored the only goal, his controversial penalty just before half time following a VAR check leaving China rooted to the bottom of the group and thus ending their hopes of making a second World Cup.
