Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup has been a long journey so far, a gauntlet that will require — at a minimum — multiple group stages.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will put eight teams directly into the 2026 World Cup, with a ninth team going to the inter-confederation playoffs in hopes of making the tournament. Only Africa and Europe will put more teams in the 2026 World Cup than Asia.

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Six spots were confirmed through the first three rounds of qualifying, with Japan and Iran easing to qualification after dominating qualifying, while both Uzbekistan and Jordan qualified for the first time in their histories. South Korea have also made it with Heung-min Son still their leading star in attack. They are joined by Australia.

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