The 2026 World Cup qualifiers Asian round of 18 is in full swing, this morning, the three matches of the fourth round of Group B are played at the same time, the East Asian powerhouse Korea team at home and Iraq staged a battle for the top spot, the Asian Cup runner-up Jordan faced the same West Asian team Oman, two low-end teams Palestine and Kuwait met in a narrow way, each team has joy and sorrow, a few joy and a few sorrows.
Korea 3-2 Iraq
Korea is ranked 23rd in the world and 3rd in Asia, and Korea has participated in the World Cup finals 11 times in history, setting an Asian record. In this World Preliminary Tournament, Korea is in stable form, with an unbeaten record of 5 wins and 1 draw in the round of 36. In the first round of the round of 18, Korea drew with Palestine in an upset, but then Korea won back-to-back games against Oman and Jordan.
Iraq, ranked 55th in the world and 6th in Asia, are also in excellent form in this World Preliminary Tournament, advancing to the round of 36 with a winning record, thus beating Saudi Arabia to secure a place in Pot 2 and finally being placed in Group B, with two wins and one draw in the first three rounds of the round of 18, and the points are the same as Korea, so it is a battle for the top of Group B.
In the game, in the first half, Park Yongyu fouled and was yellow, and in the 41st minute, the Korea team crossed the penalty area on the right, Bae Junhao passed the ball to the front of the small penalty area, and Oh Se-hoon outflanked the goal! Korea 1-0 Iraq. In the 50th minute, Atwan crossed from the right, and Hussein scored with a barb in the small penalty area! Korea 1-1 Iraq. In the 74th minute, Wen Xuanmin's cross from the left side was blocked in front of the goal, Li Zaicheng broke the ball and passed to the front of the small penalty area, and Wu Xianhua scored with a low shot! Korea 2-1 Iraq. In the 83rd minute, Korea passed to the penalty area from the left, and Lee Jaeseong rushed to the top of the goal! Korea 3-1 Iraq. In the 95th minute, Baiash scored with a header and Iraq pulled one back, giving Korea 3-2 Iraq.
Jordan 4-0 Oman
Jordan is ranked 68th in the world and has been in red-hot form this Jordan year. In the Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, Jordan eliminated strong opponents all the way to the final, and although they lost to Qatar and only finished second, they still created the best result in the team's history in the Asian Cup. In the Asian round of 36 of the World Preliminaries, Jordan defeated Saudi Arabia in the final round to win the group and advance to the round of 18. In the first three rounds of the round of 18, Jordan's results were one win, one draw and one loss.
Oman is ranked 78th in the world and was in the same group as the Chinese men's football team in the last World Preliminary Tournament. This summer, Oman experienced a change of coach, and Ivankovic took charge of the Chinese men's football team after class. Oman qualified as group winners in the round of 36. In the first three rounds of the round of 18, Oman did not perform well, with only 1 win and 2 defeats, temporarily ranking 4th in the group.
In the game, Nijmat and Orwan both scored twice in the first and second half, and Jordan swept Oman 4-0 at home to move up to second place in the group with seven points.
Palestine 2-2 Kuwait
Palestine is ranked 98th in the world, lower than the national football team, and finished second in the group in the round of 36, returning to the final stage of the Asian zone of the World Preliminary Championship after many years. The round of 18 drew with Korea in the first round and suffered two consecutive defeats, losing to Jordan and Iraq. Kuwait, ranked 134th in the world, are the lowest-ranked team in the round of 18, drawing with Jordan and Iraq in the first two rounds, but losing 4-0 to Oman in the last round.
In the game, Kuwait's Nasser broke the deadlock in the first half, Palestine equalized with Ali's penalty, and in the second half, Saldana was sent off twice, Nasser scored a goal to lead again, and in stoppage time, Palestine scored a goal, and finally Palestine and Kuwait drew 2-2.