The eighteen teams that advanced from the second round (nine group winners and nine group runners-up) were divided into three groups of six teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams of each group will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the fourth round.[2]
From the teams that advance to the fourth round, the two teams with the best results in this round also receive the right to host the fourth round groups.[3]
Qualified teams
The following teams finished first or second in their respective second round groups:[4]
The draw for the third round was held on 27 June 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[4]
The seeding for the draw was based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings on 20 June 2024 (shown in parentheses below).[5]
Each group contains one team from each of the six pots. The draw started with Pot 6 and concluded with Pot 1, with each team drawn being placed in the corresponding position sequentially in Group A, then B, then C.[6]
^ abThe North Korean team confirmed to move the venue to Vientiane for the matches against Qatar and Iran due to "security concerns".[8]
^Palestine play all their home matches at a neutral venue until further notice, due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.[9]
References
^ ab"AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 – Jun 2025)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
^"Asia's pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 confirmed". Asian Football Confederation. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
^"AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". the-AFC. Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
^ ab"Third round cast finalised". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
^"Road to 26 draw to reveal riveting battles for Asian contenders". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
^"Draw procedures for the AFC Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26" (PDF). FIFA. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
^"Road to 26 - Draw Results & Match Schedule" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
^Reddy, Shreyas (16 August 2024). "North Korea moves World Cup qualifier from Pyongyang due to 'security concerns'". NK News. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^"Malaysia to host Palestine vs Jordan World Cup Qualifier match". The Sun. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
^"Subway Socceroos to play China PR at Adelaide Oval". socceroos.com.au. 19 July 2024.