Iran, Uzbekistan Vie for 2026 World Cup Qualification Top Spot
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran will host Uzbekistan in Group E of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on Tuesday.
Both sides have already secured their spots in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals and will face off for the group’s top spot.
Locked on 13 points after five matches, Iran will aim to use home ground advantage to defeat an Uzbekistan side who came back from two goals down to force a 2-2 draw when the sides met in Tashkent back in November.
It was a difficult result for Iran to accept, having defeated Uzbekistan in their previous 10 matches.
Amir Ghalenoei’s side had to work harder than expected in Thursday’s 4-2 win over Hong Kong and the tactician will be hoping for a more focused performance from his players.
Srecko Katanec’s Uzbekistan will be eager to test itself ahead of the third round campaign, where the likes of Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar and Saudi Arabia could be their opponents.