The third round matches of the first group of Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup scheduled for the United States, Canada and Mexico 2026 are of great importance, as the three matches will change the format and arrangement of the group, which will be held the day after tomorrow, Thursday.
The Qatari team will host its Kyrgyz counterpart in the first official meeting between the two teams, as the Asian champion searches for its first victory after a loss and a draw.
On the other hand, the Kyrgyz national team did not have an ideal start after losing to its Iranian host with a clean goal in the first round, before it was also defeated by its Uzbek guest by two goals to three, which made its chances decline in the group by occupying sixth and last place without any points.
The Kyrgyz national team, led by Russian coach Maxim Lisitsyn, is ranked 106th in the FIFA rankings, noting that 75th is the best ranking the team has achieved, while 201st is the worst in its history.
The Russian Lisitsyn, who succeeded the Slovak Stefan Tarkovic last June, aspires to lead the Kyrgyz national team towards a new historical achievement, as he considers his assumption of technical management a very big responsibility, promising the Kyrgyz fans an honorable attendance against the continent’s mightiest teams.
The Russian coach had previously had several experiences in Kyrgyz football after supervising the training of the Dordoy and Elbers teams, which led to his appointment as coach of the U-23 and U-20 teams in Kyrgyzstan.
Joel Kojo, the Uzbek player for Dynamo Samarkand, is the top scorer for the Kyrgyz national team in the qualifiers, scoring 3 goals. The team also includes a number of distinguished players, led by Kolzigit Alikulov, the Belarusian player for Neman Grondo, along with Kairat Jirgalbek, Ernst Batyrkanov, Kai Merck, and Valery Kitchin.
In a second match, the Uzbek national team, the leader of Group A, hosts its Iranian guest, who comes in runner-up on goal difference, at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, in a confrontation to decide the lead.
Both teams have six points, as the Uzbekistan national team defeated North Korea and Kyrgyzstan in the first two matches, while the Iranian national team defeated Kyrgyzstan and the Emirates.
It is expected that the match will be strong between the two teams after they also met in the second round of the qualifiers, in two matches that were decided in a draw.
In the third confrontation, the UAE national team hosts its North Korean counterpart after losing 1-0 to Iran in the last round, while it opened its campaign with a three-goal victory over its Qatari counterpart.
As for the North Korean national team, it also needs three points after a draw and a loss in the first two matches.
The first and second teams in each of the three groups qualify directly to the 2026 World Cup, reserving six of the eight direct seats available to the Asian Football Confederation, while the third and fourth-placed teams (six teams) move to the Asian playoff, whose matches are held in a league system. From one round, the first-place finisher in each group qualifies for the World Cup.
On the other hand, the two teams that finished second in the Asian playoff will go on to play a two-legged confrontation, to determine the team that qualifies for the global playoff.