4 spots left
Six teams in Asia are already through to the World Cup! Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, and Uzbekistan have all secured their spots, and now only four Asian spots are left.
Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE are locked in a fierce fight to reach the fourth round and keep their World Cup dreams alive.
Pitch is ready
Tonight’s battle kicks off at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Sadd Club, in almost an hour. This 15,000-seat arena has allocated 8% of its capacity—nearly 1,200 tickets—for UAE fans.
Take a look at the pitch before showdown:
And preparations in the stadium started early on:
Football fever is on
For Qatar, the excitement of 2022 when the World Cup was at home still lingers, and today, the journey to the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals reaches a momentous milestone. In just under three hours, the battle will begin on Qatari soil, and history is in the making.
The UAE, on the other hand, is wishing upon a star to end decades of World Cup drought to secure a spot in next year’s edition in Canada, Mexico, and the US.
Today’s match promises fireworks of its own!
‘Dream of a nation’
Tonight, the “dream of a nation” is closer than ever, as the UAE national football team, the Whites, stands just one match away from qualifying for the FIFA World Cup — after a 35-year wait.
Excitement is peaking, and fingers crossed across the Emirates before the winner-takes-all qualifier match against Qatar in Doha — a face-off that will hand one team a direct berth in the 2026 Mondial. Who will it be?
Stay with us here at Khaleej Times, as we bring you every live score and match highlight on the road to qualification — plus, all the vibes on and off the pitch.
