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South Korea’s Victory Over Kuwait Brings Them Closer to World Cup Qualification

South Korea strengthened its position and moved closer to securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Kuwait 3-1 in the fifth round of Group B in the third round of Asian qualifiers at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. This victory marked their fourth consecutive win. This round also saw a goalless draw between Iraq and Jordan in Basra, providing little advancement for either side.

Oh Se-hoon opened the scoring for South Korea in the 10th minute, followed by a penalty goal from Son Heung-min in the 19th, and Bae Jun-ho’s strike in the 74th minute. Kuwait’s Mohamed Dhahm scored their lone goal in the 60th minute.

With this win, South Korea, ranked 22nd globally, now leads the group with 13 points, ahead of Iraq and Jordan, who both have 8 points. Other teams in the group include Oman (6 points), Kuwait (3), and Palestine (2).

In the same group, Iraq and Jordan’s 0-0 draw offered no progress, while Oman secured a vital 1-0 win over Palestine, with Mohsen Al-Ghasani scoring the match’s only goal in the 83rd minute.

Iran is Also Closing In

Like South Korea, Iran made significant strides towards qualification with a 3-2 victory over North Korea in Group A.

Iran led 3-0 at halftime, thanks to goals from Mehdi Ghadyi (29′) and a brace by Mohammad Mohebi (41′, 45′). However, North Korea mounted a second-half comeback, with Mehdi Taremi scoring an own goal (56′) and Kim Yu-sung pulling one back (59′) after Iranian defender Shoja Khalilzadeh was sent off (51′).

Meanwhile, Qatar claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory over Uzbekistan, with Lucas Mendes scoring the decisive goal in the 90+12th minute. Qatar’s Almoez Ali scored twice (25′, 41′), while Uzbekistan’s Abbasbek Fayzullayev matched his brace (75′, 80′).

Qatar now has two wins in the group and sits in fourth with seven points, tied with the UAE, who triumphed over Kyrgyzstan 3-0. Uzbekistan trails by three points, while Iran leads the group.

The UAE bounced back from two losses and a draw with a 3-0 win over Kyrgyzstan, with Harib Suhail (15′, 89′) and Marcos Meloni (35′) scoring the goals.

Saudi Arabia’s Struggles Continue

In another Group C match, Saudi Arabia had a goal disallowed in the dying moments, settling for a goalless draw against Australia. This result left them winless in their last three matches.

Both Saudi Arabia and Australia now have 6 points, while China, in fourth place after 5 matches, is also on 6 points. Japan, currently leading the group with 10 points, will face Indonesia today.

Bahrain missed the chance to take sole possession of second place after a 1-0 home defeat to China, dropping to fifth with 5 points, one behind Saudi Arabia, Australia, and China. Indonesia remains at the bottom of the table with 3 points.

Saudi Arabia’s struggles continue, having lost 0-2 to Japan and drawn 0-0 with Bahrain in their previous two matches. The team also failed to secure their first win in Australia, despite a coaching change before the match. French coach Hervé Renard, who replaced Roberto Mancini after poor results, was in charge for this match.

In another encounter, China secured a late win with a 91st-minute goal from Zhang Yunying against Bahrain, who saw defender Walid Al-Hiyam sent off shortly after.