The matches of the 9th round of Group A in the Asian continent of the World Cup 2026 qualifying stage took place, and all issues in the tournament table found their solutions.
Qatar defeated the favorite Iran national team at home with a minimal score. The only and decisive goal of the match was scored by Pedro Miguel in the 41st minute. Despite this defeat, the Iran national team maintained its lead in Group A with 20 points.
At the same time, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea had a dramatic match, agreeing to a 2:2 draw. In the match, Pak Kwan Hoon opened the scoring in the last minute of the first half, and Jo-Guk Ri doubled the lead in the 52nd minute. However, the Kyrgyz players did not give up, restoring balance with dramatic goals from Guljigit Aliqulov in the 57th minute and Kim Sung-Hyon in the 90th minute.
Although the Uzbekistan national team played to a 0:0 draw with the UAE, they secured the right to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history. Our national team guaranteed 2nd place with 18 points and will participate in the World Cup to be held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
The situation in the group was officially clarified: the national teams of Iran and Uzbekistan received tickets to the World Cup, while the UAE and Qatar teams will continue to play in the next stage of the qualifiers. Unfortunately, the qualifying stage ended here for Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
Now the Uzbekistan national team will play its final qualifying match against Qatar on June 10 in Tashkent. This match is eagerly awaited as a true celebration for football fans.
