World Cup 2026: AFC Big Guns Bidding to Upset the Odds Next Summer

The World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers have ended after eight teams booked their tickets to the 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will represent the confederation next summer. Iraq will also hope to join the party through the play-offs.

Read on as we assess whether any of the AFC teams can make their mark at the 2026 World Cup.

Japan

As the top-ranked team in the Asian confederation, Japan will shoulder the burden of getting the region as deep as possible into the tournament.

The Samurai Blue were the first Asian side to qualify for the World Cup after claiming a comfortable 2-0 victory over Bahrain in March.

Second-half goals from Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo ensured that Japan will participate in an eighth consecutive World Cup tournament.

Japan have qualified for every World Cup since their first appearance in 1998, but they have never made it past the round of 16.

However, the Samurai Blue have a squad talented enough to cause problems for any team in the world, and their recent form has been remarkable.

They have lost just one of their last 19 games in all competitions. They were also dominant in the third round of AFC qualifiers, winning seven of their 10 games and conceding just three goals.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia booked their place in the 2026 World Cup following a goalless draw against Iraq.

They have turned a corner since dismissing Roberto Mancini to bring back Herve Renard as manager, and he has done a fantastic job getting them to their seventh World Cup tournament.

Saudi Arabia’s best performance at the World Cup came in 1994 when they reached the round of 16.

They have yet to repeat that feat since then, although Renard’s return has sparked renewed hopes, especially within the betting community.

Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar, so local fans will back them on the sportsbooks featured on arabswin.com/en/ to upset the odds again.

While their odds of making it past the group stage for the first time in over three decades are slim, it would be a brave move to bet against Renard’s side making headlines in North America.

South Korea

South Korea are gearing up to feature in their 11th consecutive World Cup – a feat that not many teams in the world can boast about.

They are probably the AFC’s best chance of making a deep run in the World Cup, although their ‘golden generation’ might be passing the torch after the showpiece in North America.

Talisman Heung-min Son could be heading into his final global outing as he nears the twilight of his career. It is a similar story for several other players.

Aside from a fairytale run to the last four at the co-hosted edition in 2002, South Korea have failed to reach the quarter final in any of their other ten appearances in the World Cup.

Their chances of repeating that 2002 achievement are slim but not impossible.

Australia

Australia will make their seventh appearance at the World Cup after claiming a 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia to secure direct qualification.

The Socceroos made their debut in 1974 but failed to make it past the group stage. They spent the next three decades in exile, missing seven tournaments in a row before snapping the streak in 2006.

The win against Saudi Arabia means they have now qualified for six consecutive World Cup tournaments since 2006, but have only reached the last-16 twice.

Australia’s most recent last-16 appearance came at the last World Cup edition in Qatar, where they were sent packing by eventual winners Argentina.

Tony Popovic has done a fantastic job as Australia’s head coach, and his experience could improve their chances of causing a few upsets in North America.

Australia finished second in the third round of the AFC qualifiers, securing automatic qualification alongside Japan.

Popovic’s side will head into the World Cup as one of the underdogs, but they could surprise a few people, especially if they get a favourable draw in the group stage.