Qatar’s National Team has had a strong start in Group A with wins over India and Afghanistan. 

Football teams worldwide are underway in advancing to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifications while also attempting to seal their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027.

The nine group winners and the respective runners-up include Qatar, who has had a strong start in Group A with dominant wins over India and Afghanistan.

Nine group winners and the respective runners-up will advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifications while nailing spots at the upcoming Saudi Arabia AFC Asian Cup.

The other 18 teams from Round 2 will proceed directly to the third and final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifying.

Qatar will take on Kuwait on Thursday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha before travelling to the Gulf State for the reverse fixture, which is scheduled for March 26.

Qatar’s Al-Annabi has already cruised past India, registering a 3-0 win in their second successive victory at the co-qualifiers match for the 2026 World Cup edition and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The match came after Qatar firmly dominated Afghanistan 8-1 last year in what was already expected to be a match favoured for the Maroons.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan and India are competing against one another for a spot in the two tournaments.

In Group B, Japan has taken the lead after two wins, North Korea and Syria are both on three points, and Myanmar will seek a fighting chance after their first two matches ended in defeats.

In Group C, the South Korean Republic leads with six points, with Thailand and China PR on three.

Singapore needs a desperate win after having lost both their opening matches.

Malaysia leads in Group D with two wins, while Oman strives to bounce back from a defeat to the Kyrgyz Republic.

After two defeats, Chinese Taipei will pursue their first points in the tournament.

On the other side of the pitch, Iran and Uzbekistan played to a 2-2 draw, seating themselves as the favourites to advance from Group E.

Turkmenistan and Hong Kong are one point apart after two matches.

Group F features dominant Iraq, who kicked off a three-point lead at the top after winning over Vietnam and Indonesia.

Vietnam will enter their third match in second, while the Philippines and Indonesia will strive for their first wins after collecting just a point from their previous two games.

Saudi Arabia leads Group G with six points but will face Jordan, runners-up in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.

Tajikistan will also look to carry their AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 strength into the qualifiers, while Pakistan needs a win after two defeats.

In the final Groups of H and I, the United Arab Emirates recorded two wins and will look to close out in their respective group.

Also, in Group H, Bahrain and Yemen trail by three points, while Nepal sees two defeats.

Australia has witnessed strong success after two wins as they compete alongside Lebanon, who had to settle for draws in their opening matches.

At the same time, Palestine and Bangladesh are on a point each heading into Matchday Three.