Team Melli has been drawn in group A of the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the draw that has just concluded in the Malaysian capital, Kula Lumpur.
Group A seems to be a balanced group with the defending AFC Asian Cup title holder Qatar and Uzbekistan being the strongest in the group along with Iran.
Group A
IRAN
QATAR
UZBEKISTAN
UAE
KYRGYZ REP
KOREA DPR
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | — | 15 Oct | 25 Mar | 20 Mar | 5 Sep | 10 Jun | |
| 2 |  Qatar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 Jun | — | 14 Nov | 5 Sep | 10 Oct | 20 Mar | ||
| 3 |  Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fourth round | 10 Oct | 10 Jun | — | 15 Oct | 20 Mar | 5 Sep | |
| 4 |  United Arab Emirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 Sep | 19 Nov | 5 Jun | — | 14 Nov | 10 Oct | ||
| 5 |  Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 Nov | 25 Mar | 10 Sep | 10 Jun | — | 15 Oct | ||
| 6 |  North Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 Nov | 10 Sep | 19 Nov | 25 Mar | 5 Jun | — |
The first match(es) will be played: on 5th September 2024.
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
| DATE | TIME | COMPETETION | STAGE | TEAM HOME | TEAM AWAY | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 16 2026 | 16:00 Local time | Asian Games Ngoya 2026 | Group B |  UAE |  IRAN | Wave Kariya Stadium , Nagoya |
| Sunday, September 20, 2026 | 16:00 Local time | Asian Games Ngoya 2026 | Group B | IRAN |  CHINA | Wave Kariya Stadium , Nagoya |
| Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 16:30 Local time | Asian Games Ngoya 2026 | Group B |  KOREA DPR | IRAN | Wave Kariya Stadium , Nagoya |
| Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | International Friendly |  RUSSIA | IRAN | Ak Bars Arena (Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia) | ||
| Saturday, January 9th , 2026 |  | Group Stage - GROUP C | IRAN | CHINA | Kingdom Aren , Riyadh | |
| Wednesday, January 13th , 2026 | | Group Stage - GROUP C |  KYRGYZ REP | IRAN | Al Shabab Stadium, Riyadh | |
| Monday, January 18th , 2026 | | Group Stage - GROUP C | IRAN |  SYRIA | King Fahd Sports City Stadium, Riyadh |