Key stats to consider heading into AFC World Cup Qualifiers
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
What is the Format for Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup?
Each region under FIFA has its own unique format for teams to qualify for the World Cup to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have been allocated eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off spot.
The third round is particularly important as it is this round that the first set of qualifiers will be confirmed. In round three, 18 teams are divided into three groups consisting of six teams each, and each team will play against each other home and away with the top two sides from each section securing their qualification for the World Cup 2026.
After the first two matchdays, Uzbekistan and Iran are currently leading Group A, Jordan and South Korea are atop Group B, and Japan and Saudi Arabia are the teams to beat in Group C.
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Who Still Has Perfect Records in Qualifying?
To illustrate the competitiveness of the AFC region, we can look at the team’s records after the first two matchdays where we find only three of the 18 remaining teams in the tournament still carrying a perfect record into week three.
The first is Uzbekistan, who have been one of the surprise packages of the competition so far as they also came through round two unbeaten with four wins and two draws in their six games. In round three, the White Wolves have shot to the top of Group A with a 1-0 win against North Korea and a 3-2 victory over Kyrgyzstan.
Right behind the Turanians, though, is Iran. Team Melli have made it to the World Cup group stage in each of the last two editions and look well on their way to a third consecutive qualification having beaten Kyrgyzstan 1-0 and held off a dangerous United Arab Emirates also by a 1-0 scoreline.
The third and final team heading into week three in the third round with a flawless record are AFC powerhouse Japan, who are looking to earn qualification to the World Cup for an eighth consecutive time since the 1998 edition hosted by France. The Samurai Blue have not dropped a single point in the competition, posting six wins in six in round two and have already beaten China 7-0 and Bahrain 5-0 in the third round. Japan face Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening and are clear favourites at 1.80 to beat the Falcons with Bet365.
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Who Are the Top Scorers in the AFC Qualifiers So Far?
Unsurprisingly, Japan are currently head and shoulders ahead of every other team in this round, having already smashed in a whopping 12 goals in just two matches in round three, adding to the massive 24 netted in the second round. What is equally impressive is that the Samurai Blue's defence has yet to be breached as they have shut out opponents in all eight of their matches since the qualifying campaign began.
The chasing pack in terms of goals scored consist of Uzbekistan and Jordan who have scored four goals apiece in this round, while the UAE, Qatar, South Korea and Saudi Arabia have all struck the back of the net three times each.
As for the individual player accolades, Feyenoord and Japan attacker Ayase Ueda, Al-Duhail and Qatar striker Almoez Ali, and Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea’s hero Son Heung-min are all tied on eight goals each after entering the competition in the second round. Mehdi Taremi of Iran and Jordan’s Musa Al-Taamari are joint second with six goals to their names.
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Bet on Son Heung-min to finish as the top scorerOther Notable Stats from the AFC World Cup Qualifiers
Perhaps the most outstanding statistic up to this point in the competition is that there have already been an incredible 427 goals scored in just 145 matches over the first three rounds and 45 in round three alone. That means there has been an average of 2.94 goals scored per match.
Owing heavily to the trouncing handed to them by Japan, China have conceded the most goals in round three so far, shipping nine goals over the first two games, following a further nine conceded in round two. Somewhat surprisingly, Qatar currently features in the highest-goals conceded column as well with five allowed so far and they are joined by Bahrain, who have also picked the ball out of their own net on five occasions.
Another potential shock in the making is that perennial World Cup contenders Australia, currently second-last in Group C, and Qatar, also second-to-bottom in Group A, are in serious danger of missing out on qualification. Both sides have only notched up a point each over the first two matches in this round, while the Socceroos are yet to score a single goal in round three.
Qatar have a golden opportunity to secure their first win in the group when they face Kyrgyzstan in week three and you can lock in odds of 1.40 for the Maroons to win or 1.70 on the over 2.5 goals market with Betway.
