Back-to-back Asian champions Qatar had a forgettable start to their campaign in Group A in the third round of FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers, as they lost 1-3 to the UAE at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan on Thursday.

Qatar paid a heavy price for their complacency as the UAE, despite trailing 1-0, stormed back to take a stunning win. While Iran defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0, Uzbekistan overcame North Korea 1-0 in the other two Group A games.

Palestine made quite an impressive start to their campaign in Group B, overcoming heavy odds to hold much fancied South Korea to a 0-0 draw. Jordan and Kuwait ended their game in a 1-1 stalemate while Iraq got the better of 10-man Oman 1-0 in the other two group matches.

Japan steamrollered China 7-0 in Group C while Bahrain stunned powerhouses Australia 1-0 and Saudi Arabia held Indonesia to a 1-1 draw.

Marquez Lopez’s Qatar, who were overwhelming favourites against the UAE on the back of recent results, looked on course for full points when they led 1-0 at half-time. Lopez’s surprise inclusion Ibrahim Al Hassan scored his maiden international goal in the 38th and Qatar had around 75 percent of ball possession. 

But Paulo Bento’s men then turned the tide in the second half, silencing 34,000 Qatari fans at the iconic venue.

Qatar paid a heavy price for their complacency as the UAE equalised through an unmarked Harib Abdalla Suhail in the 68th and then took the lead through Khaled Ebraheim with 10 minutes remaining.

Qatar were then denied a penalty by VAR decision and Emirati substitute Ali Saleh ended the game with a third goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time. 

It was UAE’s first win against Qatar since their 4-1 triumph in the AFC Asian Cup in 2015. The two sides will face off again in the second leg on November 19.

Qatar defender Tarek Salman admitted they had committed errors.

“We started the game well, but we committed mistakes in the second half. It was a tough match, and UAE took advantage of individual errors to score three goals. Mistakes are part of game, but we must rectify them and return strongly. We apologise to our fans. It’s a long journey, and we’ll spare no efforts to qualify for the World Cup,” he was quoted as saying.  

Qatar will look to bounce back when they meet North Korea in their second match in Laos on Tuesday. UAE will host Iran in Al Ain the same day. 

Palestine made their first-ever appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers special by holding powerful South Korea to a goalless draw.

South Korea, seeking to appear in their 11th consecutive FIFA World Cup, were expected to sail through, but were left frustrated by a resolute Palestinian side with goalkeeper Rami Hamada particularly outstanding.

“It was a difficult match, but we were able to come away with a good result because we brought all the players that we could get our hands on. I’m extremely happy to bring joy to our fans in Palestine,” Palestine’s head coach Makram Daboub said.

“Our players have the mental fortitude to handle pressure-packed situations. Obviously, given our country’s situation, only a few fans were able to travel. But we still wanted to give them a message of hope that we could qualify for the World Cup. We’re really happy to get a point,” the Tunisia-born coach added.

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