Australia confirmed their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Tuesday. The win secured the Socceroos’ place in the finals for the sixth consecutive time, finishing second in Group C behind Japan.
Despite needing only to avoid a five-goal defeat, Australia came from behind to claim all three points. Saudi Arabia took an early lead through Abdulrahman Al-Obud in the 19th minute, but the visitors responded with composure. Connor Metcalfe equalised in the 42nd minute, and just three minutes into the second half, Mitch Duke’s header from Martin Boyle’s free-kick made it 2-1.
Goalkeeper Mat Ryan marked his 100th cap with a crucial late penalty save, denying Salem Al-Dawsari an equaliser. Australia’s performance showcased their composure under pressure, resilience, and desire to go beyond expectations.
“It’s special. It probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” said head coach Tony Popovic, who took charge last September. “We’ve built a solid foundation and now want to do something special at the World Cup.”
Saudi Arabia, finishing third in the group, move on to the next round of qualifiers in October along with the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, and Oman.
Elsewhere, Oman dramatically stayed in the qualification race by holding Palestine to a 1-1 draw in Amman. Oday Kharoub’s 49th-minute header gave Palestine the lead, and a second yellow card for Oman’s Harib Al-Saadi further tilted the game. But in stoppage time, Muhsen Al-Ghassani was brought down inside the box, and Issam Al-Sabhi converted the resulting penalty. The result pushed Oman into fourth place in Group B and knocked Palestine out.
In other Group C action, Japan routed Indonesia 6-0 in Osaka with Daichi Kamada scoring twice in the first half. Japan, having already qualified, topped the group with dominance.
Group A saw Iran beat North Korea 3-0 in Tehran after Kye Tam was sent off in the 66th minute. Mehdi Mohebi, Mehdi Taremi, and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh scored in the final 16 minutes, securing first place for Iran. Uzbekistan followed in second, beating Qatar 3-0.
The UAE drew 1-1 with Kyrgyzstan but still finished above Qatar in the standings. Meanwhile, South Korea remained unbeaten in Group B with a commanding 4-0 win over Kuwait. Jordan, already qualified, ended their campaign with a 1-0 loss to Iraq.
The next and final phase of Asian qualifiers begins in October. Australia, already through, will be watching as others fight for the remaining spots.
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