Five Arab Teams Edge Closer to 2026 World Cup Qualification
With ongoing qualification rounds in Asia and Africa, teams from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Jordan show promising results.
Five Arab national football teams have made significant strides toward qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
These developments follow recent qualification matches held during the most recent international break, where teams from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia achieved positive outcomes in their respective campaigns.
In the Asian qualification rounds, one Arab team has effectively secured a place in the World Cup: either Jordan or Iraq will join South Korea as contenders in Group B. The Jordanian squad has maintained impressive performance and currently ranks second in the group with 13 points, following a valuable away draw against South Korea at 1 - 1. The team is just a point behind Iraq, which unexpectedly lost to Palestine.
The upcoming match between Jordan and Iraq in the final qualification round will determine which team qualifies for the World Cup.
In Africa, the Egyptian national team has further solidified its chances by winning matches against Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, achieving a 2 - 0 and 1 - 0 victory.
As a result, Egypt leads Group A with 16 points, five points ahead of Burkina Faso, with four matches remaining.
The Moroccan team, which finished fourth in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is also on the verge of securing its place in the upcoming tournament.
Morocco currently tops Group E with 15 points, nine points clear of Niger.
The team turned around a deficit against Niger to win 2 - 1 away, followed by a 2 - 0 victory over Tanzania.
Algeria continues its successful run in Group G with a total of 15 points after two recent wins: a 3 - 1 triumph over Botswana and a 5 - 1 victory against Mozambique.
Algeria has achieved five wins, with only one loss, creating a three-point gap over Mozambique, and victory in the upcoming match will ensure their qualification.
Tunisia tops Group H with 16 points after winning matches against Liberia and Malawi, increasing the gap to four points ahead of Namibia, their closest competitor.
Despite placing third in Group B, the Sudanese national team still has a shot at qualification, sharing 12 points with Senegal, which holds second place, and trailing one point behind the Democratic Republic of Congo, which leads the group at 13 points.
However, Libya's position has deteriorated after a 3 - 1 loss to Cameroon, dropping them to third in Group D with eight points, five points behind Cape Verde.
The African teams are divided into nine groups, each consisting of six teams.
The top team in each group qualifies for the World Cup directly, while the four best second-placed teams advance to playoff matches for a chance at the global tournament.
In Asia, the UAE national team maintained its hopes of direct qualification with a late 2 - 1 win against North Korea in Saudi Arabia, following a defeat against Iran in the previous round.
This victory raised the UAE's points to 13, although they trail behind Iran, which has officially qualified, by seven points and are four points behind Uzbekistan, who is currently in second place.
The UAE will need to win their next two matches against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, while also hoping for Uzbekistan to falter in their last match against Qatar.
The Saudi national team has struggled to capitalize on opportunities for direct qualification, settling for a scoreless draw against Japan, leaving them in third place in Group C with 10 points.
They are behind Japan, who has qualified with 20 points, and trail Australia by three points.
Saudi Arabia's qualification fate remains in their own hands, provided they win their final two matches against Bahrain and Australia.
In Group B of the Asian qualifiers, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait face challenges in securing direct qualification, with competition to achieve one of the third or fourth positions for a chance at the playoffs.
Oman is currently fourth with 10 points, followed by Palestine with six points and Kuwait with five points.
Bahrain, occupying fifth place in Group C, holds nine points and has distanced itself from the prospects of direct qualification.
These developments follow recent qualification matches held during the most recent international break, where teams from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia achieved positive outcomes in their respective campaigns.
In the Asian qualification rounds, one Arab team has effectively secured a place in the World Cup: either Jordan or Iraq will join South Korea as contenders in Group B. The Jordanian squad has maintained impressive performance and currently ranks second in the group with 13 points, following a valuable away draw against South Korea at 1 - 1. The team is just a point behind Iraq, which unexpectedly lost to Palestine.
The upcoming match between Jordan and Iraq in the final qualification round will determine which team qualifies for the World Cup.
In Africa, the Egyptian national team has further solidified its chances by winning matches against Ethiopia and Sierra Leone, achieving a 2 - 0 and 1 - 0 victory.
As a result, Egypt leads Group A with 16 points, five points ahead of Burkina Faso, with four matches remaining.
The Moroccan team, which finished fourth in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is also on the verge of securing its place in the upcoming tournament.
Morocco currently tops Group E with 15 points, nine points clear of Niger.
The team turned around a deficit against Niger to win 2 - 1 away, followed by a 2 - 0 victory over Tanzania.
Algeria continues its successful run in Group G with a total of 15 points after two recent wins: a 3 - 1 triumph over Botswana and a 5 - 1 victory against Mozambique.
Algeria has achieved five wins, with only one loss, creating a three-point gap over Mozambique, and victory in the upcoming match will ensure their qualification.
Tunisia tops Group H with 16 points after winning matches against Liberia and Malawi, increasing the gap to four points ahead of Namibia, their closest competitor.
Despite placing third in Group B, the Sudanese national team still has a shot at qualification, sharing 12 points with Senegal, which holds second place, and trailing one point behind the Democratic Republic of Congo, which leads the group at 13 points.
However, Libya's position has deteriorated after a 3 - 1 loss to Cameroon, dropping them to third in Group D with eight points, five points behind Cape Verde.
The African teams are divided into nine groups, each consisting of six teams.
The top team in each group qualifies for the World Cup directly, while the four best second-placed teams advance to playoff matches for a chance at the global tournament.
In Asia, the UAE national team maintained its hopes of direct qualification with a late 2 - 1 win against North Korea in Saudi Arabia, following a defeat against Iran in the previous round.
This victory raised the UAE's points to 13, although they trail behind Iran, which has officially qualified, by seven points and are four points behind Uzbekistan, who is currently in second place.
The UAE will need to win their next two matches against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, while also hoping for Uzbekistan to falter in their last match against Qatar.
The Saudi national team has struggled to capitalize on opportunities for direct qualification, settling for a scoreless draw against Japan, leaving them in third place in Group C with 10 points.
They are behind Japan, who has qualified with 20 points, and trail Australia by three points.
Saudi Arabia's qualification fate remains in their own hands, provided they win their final two matches against Bahrain and Australia.
In Group B of the Asian qualifiers, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait face challenges in securing direct qualification, with competition to achieve one of the third or fourth positions for a chance at the playoffs.
Oman is currently fourth with 10 points, followed by Palestine with six points and Kuwait with five points.
Bahrain, occupying fifth place in Group C, holds nine points and has distanced itself from the prospects of direct qualification.
