The Asian World Cup qualifiers are divided into four stages. First of all, the lowest ranked 18 team played two rounds of home and away games, and the nine winning teams entered the second stage.
In the second stage, these nine teams will join the top 27 Asian teams in the world to participate in the Top 36 Competition, and they will be divided into nine groups with four teams in each group. After the home and away games, the top two in each group advanced to the third stage.
In the third stage, 18 team is divided into three groups, with 6 teams in each group. This stage of the competition is very crucial, because the top two in the group directly advance to the 2026 World Cup. The six teams that won the third and fourth place in the group entered the fourth stage.
In the fourth stage, six teams were divided into two groups, and three teams in each group played a single round of competition. The first team in each group will advance directly to the 2026 World Cup, while the two teams in the second place need to decide the winner through play-offs. The winning team will represent Asia in the intercontinental play-offs of the World Cup.
Asia's top World Cup teams
1, Japan. The Japanese team performed well in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. They beat Spain, Germany and other strong teams with a record of 2 wins/KLOC-0, ranking first in the group. This team has powerful players like Takumi Minamino and Kubo Jianying, and the head coach Hajime Moriyasu also showed excellent command ability. The Japanese team has always performed well in the past few World Cups and has the strength to compete with any opponent.
2. Korea. South Korea has shown strong competitiveness and resilience in this World Cup. In the face of powerful Uruguay and Ghana, they won valuable victories through tenacious defense and efficient counterattack. Sun Xingyu, the core of the team, performed well on the offensive end, posing a great threat to his opponents. South Korea has always been famous for its excellent physical fitness and tactical execution, and has also made amazing performances in the World Cup.