Saudi Arabia was drawn in Group G of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 alongside Jordan, Tajikistan, and the winners of the Round 1 clash between Cambodia and Pakistan. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw for the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday. Thirty-six national teams were drawn into nine groups of four, competing against each other in home-and-away matches. Round 1 will see each team playing one home and one away match in October, while the Round 2 matches will be held in a home-and-away round-robin format, between November 2023 and June 2024. All nine group winners and the respective runners-up from Round 2 will advance to the third round of World Cup qualifiers, and will occupy their places at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027. The draw for the third round of the 2026 World Cup will be held in 2024, when 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six with the top two from each group qualifying directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Asian Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Round 2 Groups: Group A: Qatar, India, Kuwait, Afghanistan/Mongolia Group B: Japan, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar/Macau Group C: South Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore/Guam Group D: Oman, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei/Timor Leste Group E: Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Hong Kong/Bhutan Group F: Iraq, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia/Brunei Darussalam Group G: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tajikistan, Cambodia/Pakistan Group H: UAE, Bahrain, Yemen/Sri Lanka, Nepal/Laos Group I: Australia, Palestine, Lebanon, Maldives/Bangladesh
