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Six AFC Teams Stay Undefeated After Opening 2026 World Cup Matches
South Korea, Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran have each played once and collected two wins and four draws combined. All six sides also appeared at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
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Six of the nine AFC teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain undefeated after their opening matches, recording two wins and four draws combined. South Korea defeated Czechia after trailing early in the match. Australia beat Türkiye 2-0.
Japan came from behind twice to draw with the Netherlands. Saudi Arabia drew with Uruguay, Qatar drew with Switzerland, and Iran twice trailed before drawing 2-2 with New Zealand. At the time of the group-stage draw, New Zealand was the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.
The side has since moved above Curaçao and Haiti in the FIFA rankings. Qatar sits 30 places below Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia is ranked 42 places below Uruguay. South Korea is ranked 22 places above Czechia, while Australia is four places above Türkiye.
All six AFC sides that have played also participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Iraq last appeared at the tournament in 1986. The results have come against teams that some observers viewed as stronger on paper.
Türkiye captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu predicted his side would dominate Australia and remained defiant after the loss, insisting they had done so even in defeat. Australia sits equal top of Group D. Japan’s draw with the Netherlands has been described as the match of the tournament so far.
Iran looked the likelier side to find a winner late in its 2-2 result. The remaining AFC teams—Jordan, Uzbekistan and Iraq—have yet to play. Jordan and Uzbekistan are debutants, while Iraq returns for the first time since 1986.
