Australia 2 Saudi Arabia 1 Australia qualifies and Saudi Arabia go to round 4 Palestine 1 Oman 1 Oman gets an equalizer deep into stoppage time from the penalty spot and claim the last round 4 spot from Palestine.
Any idea how the next round's matches will be played? In a specific venue? Or will each of the three countries have the right to host at least one match?
Each group will be played in one country with the 3 matches staggered over the window. It means two teams in each group get a very short backup. My tip is Saudi Arabia and Qatar host the groups, with both of them playing in the first and last games so they get maximum recovery time.
Feel so bad for Palestine. What a cruel Way to lose the playoff spot. I feel so Sorry for Them. Australia really seem to have improved alot under the new coach. They are getting good results. And Iran still same old. No tactics and bad player selections. We were lucky North Korea got a red card. Guys look at this miss pic.twitter.com/r3fuwZpXFt https://t.co/NcdLJS5MWK— عرفان حسینی / Erfan Hoseiny (@Eri1806) June 10, 2025 This is a bad forward our manager keeps inviting. Nobody understands why. He play in a small team in UAE and is awful but keeps getting invited. Meanwhile we have forwards scoring goals in Belgium and Russia who dont get called up. You have to kiss the managers ring to get called up for this team. And remember, we have a member in here, who supports these player selections…
Congratulations to all the teams that have qualified. Yesterday’s result for Iraq was also a tough pill to swallow the realization that we were so close, and yet let it slip against Palestine and Kuwait, is hard to take We haven’t come this close since 1986. All the best to the teams in the playoffs. Graham Arnold already inspires more confidence moving forward.
Graham Arnold shouldn't inspire confidence, his game plan with Australia was "Aussie Pride" and get lucky. His 3 Asian Cup failures show how bad a manager he is. Australia in Asian Cups under Graham Arnold (3 1/4 Final exits, average 1.55 points per game) Australia in Asian Cups without Graham Arnold (Champions/Runners Up, Average 2.33 points per game). He might get Iraq to the play-offs, then just hope for some good luck.
0 chances. its a done deal. Qatar's group will be in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia will play in Qatar, since both teams will head each group (due to ranking) and each group will be played at a neutral site. The question is will teams from the same group of the previous round be allowed to play together in the same group this coming round? If not, then KSA, UAE, and Oman will be in one group, while Qatar, Iraq, and Indonesia will be in the other. However, there will be a draw in July and UAE and Iraq are tier 2, while Indonesia and Oman are tier 3. In this case there are 4 grouping scenarios
I get the criticism (his Asian Cup record isn’t outstanding), and yes, sometimes Australia under Arnold played more on spirit than on beautiful football. But that doesn't mean he's a bad coach. In fact, his ability to get results with limited squads shows his strength. At the 2022 World Cup, he took a very average team, beat Denmark and Tunisia, and made it to the Round of 16. That takes more than luck.. it’s about organization, motivation, and getting players to believe. For Iraq, that’s exactly what’s needed right now. Maybe he won’t bring the most attractive style, but he can build discipline, unity, and get results in tough qualifiers. Sometimes that’s more important than having a “tactical genius” on paper.