The 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Mexico, United States, and Canada, will feature a record number of participating teams. For the first time, the Cup will be contested by 48 teams, 16 more than the 32-team format that has been established in recent editions of the tournament. As a result, the number of spots for the Asian continent has increased from 5 to 8.
So, several teams will be playing in the tournament for the first time. With the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup now over, all of the continent’s spots for the World Cup have been decided. Here, you will find an overview of each of them, understanding which ones are the strongest, which ones may surprise us, and which ones will just be making a trip to North America. This will give you a broader understanding of the World Cup teams and allow you to make more informed bets on Bizbet.
Japan
Japan will likely be the strongest Asian team in the 2026 World Cup. In the 2022 edition, the team surprised everyone, achieving impressive comebacks and finishing first in a group that included the powerful Spain and Germany, defeating both European teams. However, in the round of 16, the Asians lost to the strong Croatia.
Since then, Japan has been achieving surprising results, defeating several world powers. The latest was a 3-2 victory over Brazil in a friendly match, after trailing 0-2 in the first half. Therefore, it is necessary to keep an eye on this Japanese generation, which has great players and can achieve good results in the World Cup.
South Korea
South Korea also had a good 2022 World Cup, qualifying in a difficult group that included Portugal, Uruguay, and Ghana, and being eliminated by Brazil in the round of 16. For a long time, the South Korean team was known only for its star player, Heung Ming-Son, but now it has several other outstanding players in major teams around the world, showing that the squad is much stronger and can fight for better results in the competition. Some of the highlights are:
- Min-jae Kim, defender for Bayern Munich
- Kang-in Lee, right winger for Paris Saint-Germain
- Hee-chan Hwang, striker for Wolverhampton
- Heung-min Son, star player who currently plays for Los Angeles FC
- Jens Castrop, midfielder for Borussia Mönchengladbach
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is one of the debutants in the World Cup. The team benefited from the increase in the number of places for the competition and qualified in advance by finishing second in Group A of the Asian qualifiers. During the cycle, the team went almost 20 games unbeaten, reinforcing the good form.
The team does not have many big names in attack and stands out more for its collective play. The team’s main highlight is 20-year-old defender Khusanov, who was signed this season by the powerful Manchester City.
Jordan
Jordan is perhaps the biggest surprise of the Asian qualifiers. The team has no big names in world football, and it has also built its campaign on collective play.
To get an accurate idea of this, according to data from the Transfermarkt platform, the total market value of all players in the squad is just over €15 million. The most expensive of them is right winger Mousa Tamari, from Rennes, who is valued at €6 million. Besides him, only one other athlete exceeds the €1 million mark.
Qatar
Qatar has tried to develop local football, mainly by hosting the 2022 World Cup. However, the team has not been able to stand out even in the Asian scene, as it only qualified for the World Cup in the fourth round of the qualifiers.
The team is known for its defensive play, which could help it secure a few draws in the World Cup. However, the most likely scenario is that the team will not make it past the first round of the tournament.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a regular presence at the World Cup and surprised the world by defeating Argentina in the opening match of the 2022 edition. The feat was even more impressive considering that the South Americans ended up winning the competition.
Now, the team is boosted by the strength of the national league, which has received major investments and now boasts many world-class stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané. As a result, local players have gained more experience, which may help improve the team’s weak point, which is defense.
Iran
Iran also frequently participates in World Cups and even achieves good results. The team’s play has always been marked by a very strong defense, but in recent editions, the team has had good strikers and has even played entertaining games. The Iranians qualified easily, finishing first in Group A of the Asian qualifiers, and have a chance to advance past the first round of the World Cup.
Australia
Although not an Asian country, Australia competes in the Asian qualifiers due to the almost amateur level of football in Oceania, which means that the country ended up with no competitiveness on the continent. Competing in a more balanced tournament, Australia still consistently qualifies for the World Cup, and this time was no different.
Final standings of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup
Now that you’ve seen who qualified for the 2026 World Cup, here’s how the Asian qualifiers ended up after the third round, which was the first to yield qualifications:
Group A:
| Team | Points |
| Iran | 23 |
| Uzbekistan | 21 |
| United Arab Emirates | 15 |
| Qatar | 13 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 8 |
| North Korea | 3 |
Group B:
| Team | Points |
| South Korea | 22 |
| Jordan | 16 |
| Iraq | 15 |
| Oman | 11 |
| Palestine | 10 |
| Kuwait | 5 |
Group C:
| Team | |
| Japan | 23 |
| Australia | 19 |
| Saudi Arabia | 13 |
| Indonesia | 12 |
| China | 9 |
| Bahrain | 6 |
Group A of 4th round:
| Team | Points |
| Qatar | 4 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3 |
| Oman | 1 |
Group B of 4th round:
| Team | Points |
| Saudi Arabia | 4 |
| Iraq | 4 |
| Indonesia | 0 |
It is worth remembering that the runners-up in the 4th round groups, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, will face each other to decide which of them will compete in the World Playoff. In this small tournament, teams from four continents will compete for the last two spots in the 2026 World Cup. By using a Bizbet Promo Code, you can bet on these matches with greater financial security.