Australia have officially qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a dramatic 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 19th minute through Abdulrahman Alobud, giving them early control over the match. However, Australia made a strong comeback. Connor Metcalfe scored the equalizer in the 42nd minute, and just three minutes into the second half, Mitch Duke scored the winning goal.
Japan had already secured qualification from Group C. With Australia joining them, Saudi Arabia still has hope. They will now compete in the next qualification round for one of the remaining two Asian spots.
According to the AFC system, the top two teams from each of the three groups in the third round directly qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The fourth round will send two more teams, and one final spot will be decided through an intercontinental playoff from the fifth round.
Including Japan and Australia, four other Asian teams have already qualified: Jordan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and South Korea. These six teams now look ahead to representing Asia on football’s biggest stage in 2026.
