Doha, Qatar: The Qatar national football team reached Tashkent yesterday, gearing up to face hosts Uzbekistan tomorrow in their final Group A match of the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers.

Uzbekistan and Jordan qualified for the men's World Cup for the first time Thursday, while South Korea sealed its 11th straight appearance. A 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi was enough for Uzbekistan to take the second automatic qualification spot in Group A behind Iran with a game to spare.

A tale of two trajectories — while Uzbekistan, Jordan book their first-ever World Cup berth, India crash out again, exposing systemic failures that show no signs of repair