Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup; Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium will host Qatar's opening match against UAE

The third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on September 5 at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium when Qatar plays the United Arab Emirates. This information was released by the Qatar Football Association (QFA). 

Qatar was drawn into Group A with Iran, North Korea, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kyrgyz Republic. 

On September 10, Qatar, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup winners, will travel to North Korea for their second qualification match. Then, on October 10, they will host the Kyrgyz Republic; on October 15, they will go to Tehran, Iran, for a game. The first round of group matches will end on November 14 in Doha, Qatar, when they host Uzbekistan.

Qatar's second round of fixtures will start on November 19 with an away encounter against the United Arab Emirates, guided by Spanish coach Bartolome Marquez Lopez. On March 20, 2025, they will host North Korea; on March 25, they will play the Kyrgyz Republic; on June 5, they will host Iran; and on June 10, they will play Uzbekistan in Tashkent to end the third round. 

Qatar qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in 2027, which Saudi Arabia will host, as well as the third and final round of the World Cup qualifying tournament. Following victories against Afghanistan, India, and Kuwait and a tie with Afghanistan, they finished first in their group with 16 points from five wins and one draw.

The top two teams from each of the three groups will earn six of the eight direct spots that the Asian Football Confederation is eligible for, and they will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Six teams, ranked third and fourth respectively, advance to the Asian playoffs, which consist of single-round robin competitions. Every group will have a top team that advances to the World Cup. 

A two-leg playoff will be played between the teams who placed second in the Asian playoffs to decide which club advances to the intercontinental playoffs.