AFC unexpectedly confirms host of 2026 World Cup fourth qualifying round, Indonesia surprised

On the afternoon of June 13, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that Qatar and Saudi Arabia would be the hosts of the 2 groups in the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, instead of on neutral ground. Indonesia and other teams were surprised.

The teams of Indonesia, UAE, Iraq and Oman jointly protested against AFC and FIFA.

Indonesia, UAE, Iraq and Oman are 4 of the 6 teams participating in the fourth qualifying round of the Asian region, along with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, competing for the remaining 2 official tickets to the 2026 World Cup. Previously, AFC and FIFA ( the world football body) announced that in this fourth qualifying round, the teams will compete at a neutral venue.

The Indonesian team (in white) faces a huge challenge in the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, because they will compete in Qatar or Saudi Arabia.

Photo: Reuters

However, when the draw ceremony to divide the two groups in this qualifying round has not yet taken place (until July 17 in Osaka, Japan), the AFC suddenly announced that Qatar and Saudi Arabia will be the two host countries.

This also confirms the recent rumors that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were chosen by the AFC, prompting the Football Associations of Indonesia, UAE, Iraq and Oman to issue a statement asking the AFC and FIFA to be transparent in selecting the host country. They requested that clear criteria be announced for the selection of the host country (Qatar and Saudi Arabia), as these were 2 of the 6 teams participating in the fourth qualifying round, instead of playing on neutral ground as at the beginning.

Despite the objections of these teams, the AFC has officially chosen Qatar and Saudi Arabia as the hosts of the two groups. This will certainly create tension and controversy among the teams participating in the fourth qualifying round, as the teams that win the right to host the groups will clearly have a lot of home advantage in their quest for a place in the 2026 World Cup.

Not to mention, Qatar (ranked 53rd in the world, expected position according to FIFA rankings next July) and Saudi Arabia (58) are also in the number 1 seed group. These two teams will be drawn into 2 groups of matches hosted by them.

So, Indonesia (expected to be ranked 118th in the world) and Oman (ranked 79th) are in Group 3, and Iraq (59th) and UAE (66th) are in Group 2, and will be randomly drawn into either Qatar or Saudi Arabia. It seems that the chances of these teams getting tickets are not easy.

The fourth qualifying round for Asia will take place from October 8 to 14. With 6 teams, divided into 2 groups, the top team in each group will win the remaining 2 official tickets to the 2026 World Cup. The two second-placed teams in each group will compete in a play-off match (2 home and away matches), with the winning team entering the Intercontinental play-off round to compete for 2 wildcard tickets.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/afc-bat-ngo-xac-nhan-chu-nha-vong-loai-thu-tu-world-cup-2026-indonesia-ngo-ngang-185250613173716086.htm