Iran in Pot 1 of 2026 FIFA World Cup Third Qualifying Round
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran national football team has been drawn in Pot 1 of the third qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Asia’s hopefuls for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will discover their opponents for the next stage of qualification on Thursday, June 27 at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Grand Ballroom, in Malaysia.
The 18-strong cast that will contest the third qualifying round was confirmed after the conclusion of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on June 12, which saw five teams seal their places on the final matchday.
In addition, the 18 teams have also secured qualification for the AFC Asian Cup Saudia Arabia 2027.
Scheduled to be played from September 2024 to June 2025, the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 will feature three groups of six teams and offer direct qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the top two finishers of each group.
These teams will fill six of the eight available slots for the AFC, with two more on offer via the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoff and an additional opportunity to be contested at an Intercontinental Playoff.
The 18 teams have been seeded into six pots for the draw according to the latest FIFA rankings as of June 20:
Pot 1: Japan (17), Iran (20), Korea Republic (22)
Pot 2: Australia (23), Qatar (35), Iraq (55)
Pot 3: Saudi Arabia (56), Uzbekistan (62), Jordan (68)
Pot 4: United Arab Emirates (69), Oman (76), Bahrain (81)
Pot 5: China (88), Palestine (95), Kyrgyz Republic (101)
Pot 6: DPR Korea (110), Indonesia (134), Kuwait (137)
*FIFA rankings in brackets
