Interesting Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

One of the main events in the world of soccer is the World Cup, which takes place every four years. The championship is organized by the International Federation of Association Football, and the participants are the national teams of those countries that are members of FIFA. Due to its significance, this event attracts the attention of many fans. They not only watch the matches online, but also place bets on various platforms such as https://bh.1xbet.com/en. In this article, we will look at the most interesting qualifying matches that took place for the 2026 championship (the main data is collected in the table below).

Iran’s Impressive Qualification

The Iranian team played against Uzbekistan for the chance to qualify for the World Cup. An interesting point is that the Iranian national football team only needed to draw or win by any score. At the same time, if the Uzbekistan team won, they would advance and be able to compete for victory in the World Cup. This would have been a first for Uzbekistan, and indeed it was.

The game was quite tense. Uzbekistan took the lead in the first half. Iran managed to score in the second half and equalize, but a few minutes later, their opponents took the lead again. Mehdi Taremi did the almost impossible seven minutes before the end of the match—he scored the decisive goal and the game ended in a draw.

Jordan’s Unexpected Qualification

It is also worth noting that during the qualifying matches, there were some unique events, in particular with the Jordanian football team. For the first time in its history of participating in the World Cup, the country was able to qualify. The team managed to take second place in Group B, beating Oman 3-0.

For Uzbekistan, it was a truly decisive match, and the team gave it their all. An interesting fact is that all three goals were scored by one striker, Ali Alvin. It was he who brought the team such a long-awaited victory. It is worth noting that if Oman had won, they could have continued to try to qualify. However, this was not to be.

Japan’s Qualifiers and First Qualification for the Championship

The Japanese team was the first to qualify for the upcoming World Cup. To do so, they had to play seven matches and earn 19 points, which guaranteed their participation. They played their last match against Bahrain and won 2-0. Interestingly, this is the eighth consecutive World Cup for the Japanese.

The Japanese players played well against their opponents. The team’s first goal was scored in the 66th minute of the match by midfielder Daichi Kamada. He secured the lead over their opponents and put them ahead. The result was sealed by Takefusa Kubo, who scored the second goal towards the end of the match. Thus, the victory became a decisive factor in qualifying for the main competition for the World Cup.

As midfielder Daichi Kamada noted: “I didn’t expect everything to go so smoothly. I believe this is the result of the hard work of the entire team. We all know that it’s not easy. We had a very difficult time in the previous qualifying matches, so this time I feel a real sense of relief and incredible joy.”

Qualification for South Korea

The South Korean national football team has been a regular participant in the World Cup since 1986. This season, the team has performed well in the first four matches, which took place in 2024. Korea managed to beat:

• Oman
• Kuwait
• Jordan
• Iraq

Interestingly, the score did not change in South Korea’s favor in the following three matches. The team drew with Oman, Palestine, and Jordan. The last match against Iraq was indicative, as the qualification result depended on it to some extent. In addition, the captain of the Korean team, Son Heung-min, was absent from this competition. He was replaced by two other players, Oh Hyun-woo and Kim Jin-woo. It was they who helped the team qualify for the World Cup.

Uzbekistan’s First Qualification

The current Uzbekistan team, coached by Timur Kapadze, won the qualifying matches for the first time in history and advanced to the 2026 World Cup. Of course, there are still future competitions ahead, but now Uzbekistan can confidently say that it has done it.

In the past, the country’s team came very close to qualifying. It only happened this season after an away game in Abu Dhabi with a score of 0:0. It was a very tense match in which the players experienced adverse weather conditions (intense heat). The draw was preserved thanks to the work of goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov.

In total, Uzbekistan played ten matches in the qualifiers, winning six, drawing three, and losing one.

And Finally

As you can see, soccer is a very popular sport. Around the world, the sport has thousands of fans who closely follow the matches of their favorite teams, their successes and defeats. Fans are also quite enthusiastic and can place bets on special platforms. For example, bets on match outcomes, top players, and soccer teams are popular. It should be noted that when placing bets, it is recommended to remember the principles of responsible gaming and to control the time spent playing.