The second round of the Asian qualifiers for WC 2026 saw a number of exciting matches, with some surprising results. In Group C, South Korea emerged victorious over China with a score of 3-0, thanks to Son Heung-min’s impressive performance. The Tottenham striker scored twice and assisted a third goal, giving the Koreans the lead in the first half and sealing their victory in the last minute. Meanwhile, in Group B, Japan continued their winning streak by beating Syria 5-0 as guests. Jong Il Gwan scored a hat-trick for North Korea in the same group, securing their first win of the campaign against Myanmar.
In Group E, Hong Kong drew 2-2 with Turkmenistan after coming back twice from behind. Uzbekistan and Iran played out a 2-2 draw in this group as well, with Iran leading 2-0 early on but ultimately sharing the points with Uzbekistan. In Group F, Iraq won 1-0 over hosts Vietnam thanks to Mohanad Ali’s goal in stoppage time. The Philippines and Indonesia drew 1-1 in Manila.
Group G saw Tajikistan defeat Pakistan 6-1, while Branko Ivanković’s Oman was defeated by Kyrgyzstan with a score of 1-0. In Group A, Australia celebrated away to Palestine with a Harry Souttar goal in the 18th minute of what was an incredibly high quality match played on neutral ground in Kuwait. Earlier in this group, Bangladesh and Lebanon had played out a draw.