Saudi football’s first team came into the third tier to draw the crucial stage of qualifying for the upcoming 2026 World Cup in Canada, America and Mexico.
The 18 teams were divided into six levels, according to the latest rankings issued by FIFA on June 20, with Japan, Iran, South Korea, Qatar, Iraq, third Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Jordan, fourth UAE, Oman and Bahrain.
The draw for the third round of Asian qualifying for the World Cup will take place next Thursday at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kompor, Malaysia’s capital.
Under the expected draw, the 18 qualifiers will be spread across three groups, each with six teams, each facing back and forth, and the leader and runner-up of each group will eventually step directly into the World Cup, while the third and fourth will turn into the fourth stage of qualifying.
This phase will be distributed to two groups, each comprising three teams, each of whom will meet the one-facing system in a neutral location, and the two leaders will qualify directly for the World Forum, accompanied by the six candidates from the third round.
The two runners-up will face back and forth in the so-called fifth qualifying round, and the two winners will contest the global play-off in search of a ninth Mundali seat on the yellow continent.
