The draw for FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying rounds has been carried out. Iran, the second-highest seed in Asia, will be playing in the second round of the competition. The draw of the second round pitted Team Melli with Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the winner of Hong Kong/Bhutan match which will be played in the first round of the qualifiers.

in the ceremony held today (Thursday) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the AFC announced that these matches are also the qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 which is to be held in Saudi Arabia.

Team Melli will start its campaign this winter with a match against Round One qualifiers, which is most probably be Hong Kong. It is not clear if the match will be played in Azadi Stadium which is going through some heavy renovation and maintenance. Hong Kong is also in Iran’s group in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar.

FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers Matches :

Nov 16th, 2023 vs. Hong Kong Home: World Cup Qualifier

Nov 21st, 2023 vs. Uzbekistan Away: World Cup Qualifiers

Mar 21st, 2024 vs. Turkmenistan Home: World Cup Qualifier

Mar 26th, 2024 vs. Turkmenistan Away: World Cup Qualifier

Jun 6th, 2024 vs. Hong Kong Away: World Cup Qualifier

Jun 11th, 2024 vs. Uzbekistan Away: World Cup Qualifier