| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Qatar Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | 8–14 October 2025 |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 12 (2 per match) |
| Attendance | 150,967 (25,161 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Kevin Diks Firas Al-Buraikan(2 goals each) |
←2022 2030 → | |
The fourth round ofAFC matches for the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification were played in October 2025.[1]
The third-place and fourth-place teams from thethird round were divided into two groups of three teams. Each group played around-robin tournament at a centralized venue.[2] The winners of each group qualified directly for the2026 FIFA World Cup, while the runners-up advanced to thefifth round.[3]
On 13 June 2025, AFC confirmedQatar andSaudi Arabia as the host countries.[4] The hosts were selected following a bidding process involving prospective teams during the third round.[5] The decision to hold the centralised playoff format in Qatar and Saudi Arabia was met with criticism from Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates over concerns of competitive advantage.[6]
The following teams finished third or fourth in their respective third round groups:
Indonesia
Iraq
Oman
Qatar (hosts) Saudi Arabia (hosts)
United Arab EmiratesThe fourth round draw took place on 17 July 2025 at the AFC House inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[7][8][9][10]
The seeding for the draw was based on aspecial release of theFIFA Men's World Rankings for Asian teams on 13 June 2025 (shown in parentheses below).[10]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Note:Bold indicates team qualified for the World Cup.Italics indicates the team advanced to the fifth round.
The competition schedule was as follows:[1]
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar(H) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 2–1 | — | |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Fifth round | — | — | 2–1 | |
| 3 | Oman | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 | 0–0 | — | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia(H) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 0–0 | — | |
| 2 | Iraq | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Fifth round | — | — | 1–0 | |
| 3 | Indonesia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 | 2–3 | — | — |
| Indonesia | 2–3 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
|
There were 12 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 2 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Kouame Autonne (against Oman)A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following infractions:[11]
The following suspensions were served during the fourth round:[12]
| Team | Player | Infraction(s) | Suspended for match(es) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq | Ali Al-Hamadi |  vs South Korea (5 June 2025) | vs Indonesia (11 October 2025) |
| Saudi Arabia | Mohamed Kanno |   vs Indonesia (8 October 2025) | vs Iraq (14 October 2025) |
| Iraq | Zaid Tahseen | vs Indonesia (11 October 2025) | vs Saudi Arabia (14 October 2025) |
