Completion of Asian WC qualifying, 6 of 10 rounds are done
A: Iran very comfortable plus having 3 of their final 4 matches at home they should qualify probably with games to spare. 2nd spot looks likely between UAE and Uzbekistan, especially after Qatar were hammered by UAE (their goal difference took a massive hit). UAE on paper have the easier fixtures + play Uzbekistan at home
B: South Korea dropped points against Palestine so their lead is only 2 points above Iraq however like Iran they have 3 home games remaining so they should be fine. Iraq/Jordan fighting for that automatic spot
C: Most dramatic in terms of second place as Japan are running away with things, probably 4 points from their last 4 will be more than enough. However 2nd-6th place is separated by only one point with Saudi and Australia struggling big time. China and the surprising Indonesia are in the picture as well. All to play for hard to call
*Important to note because of the expanded WC field in 2026 there will be another round for the teams that finish 3rd/4th in these groups to fill the final spots.