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FIFA World Cup 2026: Saudi Arabia, Qatar AFC qualifiers revealed

The fourth round draw of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has determined the path forward for the final six Asian teams competing for a spot in next summer’s 48-team expanded edition.

Patrick Kuivert’s Indonesia were on Thursday handed a tough draw for the final round of Asian qualifying as they try to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1938.

Coached by former Barcelona star and Dutch great Kluivert, Indonesia will play hosts Saudi Arabia, and Iraq in Group B of the fourth round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 finals.

Qatar will host Group A and face the United Arab Emirates and Oman after the six-team draw took place at the Asian Football Confederation’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Matches in both groups will be played in a single round-robin format in October in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The two group winners will join the six Asian nations already qualified for next year’s global showpiece in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

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The two second-placed teams will meet in November, with the winner over two legs entering an intercontinental playoff for the final spot at the 48-team World Cup.

Indonesia have embarked on a recruitment drive of Dutch-born players and backroom staff to bolster their bid for a first World Cup finals berth since becoming an independent nation.

Jordi Cruyff, son of Dutch football legend Johan, was in February appointed technical adviser to the Football Association of Indonesia to work alongside Kluivert.

Indonesia last qualified for the World Cup while still under Dutch colonial rule and lost 6-0 to Hungary in their only match of that tournament, hosted by France.

They will face a difficult task against Middle East giants Saudi Arabia, who have home advantage and will be heavily favoured to top Group B.

The Saudis have qualified for the World Cup on seven previous occasions, including the last two editions. Meanwhile, Iraq has only qualified once in its history, in 1986.

Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, marking their only appearance in the finals, and will be favourites to top Group A at home.

The United Arab Emirates reached the World Cup once, in 1990, while Oman has never qualified.

Australia, Japan, Jordan, Iran, South Korea, and Uzbekistan have already secured their World Cup berths from the Asian confederation.

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Dominant Pakistan defeats Qatar 3-0 to reach AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup final

MANAMA: Pakistan volleyball team outplayed Qatar in a thrilling match with a score of 3-0 to reach the AVC Nations Cup final here at the Isa Sports City Hall on Monday.

The Pakistan team demonstrated sheer domination over Qatar in the court, in front of 1,200 spectators, resulting in an emphatic victory.

The semi-final was a rematch of the previous year’s final, where Qatar defeated Pakistan to clinch the AVC Challenge Cup title.

The Green Shirts dominated the opening set with a narrow margin, winning 25-22 with strong attacks. In the second set, both teams fought hard; however, Pakistan secured the set with a similar 25-22 margin.

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Pakistan clinched victory in the semi-final in the third set, with a scoreline of 25-21.

For Pakistan, Usman Faryad Ali and Murad Khan were the standout performers who played a critical role in the attack.

Earlier, Pakistan secured the spot in the final four with a dominant 3-1 win over Indonesia in the quarterfinals. Pakistan came from behind after losing the opening set to win by the score of 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17.

Pakistan defeated Chinese Taipei and the Philippines in the group stage, displaying a dominant performance that advanced them to the next stage of the tournament.

The Nations Cup final will be played tomorrow, with Pakistan either facing Korea or the hosts, Bahrain.

For the unversed, the tournament is being played in Manama from June 17 to 24 and features 12 teams.

These include Pakistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar, Australia, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, and New Zealand.

For context, the tournament serves as a qualifier for the 2026 Asian Volleyball Championship, with top-performing teams earning world ranking points and potential entry into the 2028 Olympic Games and the 2027 FIVB World Championships.

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Qatar to host Basketball World Cup for first time

MANILA: Qatar was named host of the 2027 men’s Basketball World Cup on Friday, burgeoning its reputation for staging major global sports events.

Germany will hold the women’s version in 2026, basketball’s governing body FIBA said.

Qatar hosted the men’s football World Cup in November-December and will now stage basketball’s showpiece tournament for the first time.

All matches will be held at existing venues in the capital Doha.

“We are very happy to be able to award the Basketball World Cup 2027 to Qatar,” said FIBA president Hamane Niang.

The draw for the 2023 men’s Basketball World Cup takes place on Saturday in the Philippine capital Manila.

The Philippines, Indonesia and Japan will host this year’s World Cup from August 25 to September 10.

Qatar were not among the 32 teams who qualified.

Spain are the reigning world champions.

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