Graham Arnold took Australia to the last 16 in Qatar, where they went out 2- 1 to future leaders Argentina.
Australia, like Japan, did not accept a goal in the next qualifying round for 2026.
” We knew this round of qualifying may have problems, but the attract came out,” Arnold said.
” I feel it’s important we embrace those issues, with our thinking, belief and brotherhood essential to achieve our goal of certification”.
China just made it again, in 2002, and coach Branko Ivankovic is aware of the fact that they face off in the same group as them.
” Ours is the hardest class in this round”, he said.
” But we want to become a serious player for any team,” he added. We have three formidable clubs that participated in the previous World Cup, including Saudi, Japan, and Australia, of course.
Third-round AFC certification pick for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
Group A: Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea
Group B: South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait
Group C: Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia