Oman and China, which advanced to the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North-China, will have an exhibition match. Both teams will be engaged in tempering ahead of the third Asian qualifying round in September. Oman, which also belongs to Group B with Korea, will have a showdown with China as South Korea’s virtual opponent.
Oman is called the ambush in the Middle East. Although the team does not have strong capabilities like Iran and Saudi Arabia, it has been recognized for its potential. It displayed outstanding performance in the second qualifying round for the Asian region. It overtook Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Taiwan to become the top in Group D. It had four wins, one draw, one loss, 13 points, 11 points and two goals. It put Malaysia, which was led by coach Kim Pan-gon, on the verge of being eliminated.
He was included in Group B in the third qualifying round. He will compete with Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Kuwait for advance to the finals. The third qualifying round for the Asian region will open on September 6 (Korea time) with the first away match against Iraq. He will then invite Korea to his home ground on September 10 for the second round. He will also meet Korea in the seventh match. He will face off at home in Korea on March 20 next year.
China, which will hold an exhibition match with Oman on Thursday, was in Group C of the third preliminary round in Asia. The match will take place with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia. As China has so many strong opponents that it is expected to face challenges. It seems that Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, which are considered the best in Asia, cannot overcome this difficult situation. Bahrain, another ambush in the Middle East, and Indonesia led by Shin Tae-yong are also tough opponents.
They will have their first match against Japan on Sept. 5. They will return home after the match against Japan and have their second match against Saudi Arabia. They will have their third away match against Australia on Oct. 10 and their fourth home match against Indonesia on Oct. 15. They will have to do well in the first three games against Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, the top two contenders in the group, to advance to the finals. 안전놀이터
Meanwhile, Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will start its 11th consecutive World Cup qualifying round, starting with the first home match against Palestine on Sept. 5. It will have its second away match against Oman on Sept. 10. In this third Asian qualifying round, the top and second-ranked teams from each group will advance directly to the finals.