Asian and African football ahead of the decisive matches.

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup will conclude with quite a few Asian-African clashes. Most matches will be do-or-die situations for the teams involved. The results will clearly show the true strength of Asian and African football.

They are neck and neck so far.

Even if FIFA had expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, it would have been hard to imagine the level of favoritism Africa receives today. The number of African football representatives has doubled: from 5 to 10 teams. Almost similarly, Asia also has 9 representatives, resulting in a "crazy" structure: the total number of Asian and African teams in this World Cup is nearly equal to the total number of European and South American teams (19 and 22, respectively).

The Japanese national team is currently representing Asia and performing impressively at the 2026 World Cup.

PHOTO: REUTERS

It's also worth reiterating that in the 22 World Cups held so far, only once has an Asian team reached the semi-finals. Similarly, only once has an African team progressed that far. And in both of those "feats," the teams finished in fourth place overall. On one hand, this is the time for Asian and African football to prove they deserve the numerous World Cup qualifying spots they currently receive. On the other hand, there's a very noteworthy race as the 2026 World Cup group stage enters its final matches: the Asia-Africa race – which side is superior, between two regions often considered "underdogs" in the World Cup arena?

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Historically, Asian and African teams haven't faced each other very often, especially before the 32-team World Cup. This is because they were often placed in Group 4 (or, frankly, the "underdog" group) during the draw; if one team was in a group, the other wasn't. In total, there have only been 20 direct encounters between Asian and African teams in the 22 previous World Cups. The results are very balanced: Asian representatives won 7, drew 7, and lost 6.

This is a record-breaking World Cup: there are as many as seven Asian-African clashes in the group stage. The initial results were evenly matched. Japan beat Tunisia 4-0 in Group F, officially eliminating their African opponent from the competition. Conversely, Algeria beat Jordan 2-1 in Group J, also resulting in the early elimination of the Asian representative.

A decisive battle to see who finishes last…

This morning (June 25th - Vietnam time), South Korea faced South Africa in the final match of Group A. South Korea only needed a draw to advance, while South Africa would be eliminated if they didn't win. The remaining Asian-African clashes also took place as the groups concluded: Egypt vs. Iran (Group G), Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H), Senegal vs. Iraq (Group I), and Democratic Republic of Congo vs. Uzbekistan (Group K). Except for Egypt vs. Iran, all three remaining matches were between teams at the bottom of their groups, mainly vying for a last-chance spot. The Senegal vs. Iraq match was so tense that the winner wasn't guaranteed a spot, while the loser would finish last, and a draw would mean both teams were eliminated. The Democratic Republic of Congo vs. Uzbekistan match was similar.

The performances throughout the tournament have shown that the strength of Asian and African football does not match the 19 World Cup qualifying spots allocated to these two regions. The immediate results suggest that, in many cases, Asian and African representatives will battle each other in the final matches simply to determine who finishes last in their group. Furthermore, even in the overly lenient circumstances of this World Cup (where only the last-placed team is guaranteed elimination), it is highly likely that some groups will see both Asian and African teams eliminated, regardless of which team finishes last.

Of course, there were also some notable performances. Japan was excellent, followed by South Korea, Egypt, and Ivory Coast, which were considered "decent." In short, things didn't live up to expectations. Cabo Verde was praised simply because they haven't lost a single match so far, not because they've won any games. Tunisia was so disappointed that they made a historic decision (firing their coach immediately after his debut match). Of the eight teams without a point after two rounds, five are from Asia and Africa.

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Every time the World Cup gets exciting, people eagerly anticipate the thrilling surprises. But it seems this World Cup will be about reaffirming the old values. Just look at how Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Cristiano Ronaldo are shining!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-a-phi-truc-loat-tran-phan-quyet-185260624234103929.htm