The second round of the second stage of the Asian qualifiers for WC 2026 saw several exciting matches, with some teams emerging victorious while others fell short. In Group C, South Korea continued its impressive run and beat China 3-0 in Shenzhen. Son Heung-min scored twice and assisted a third goal, leading the Koreans in the 11th minute after Hwang Hee-chan was fouled in the penalty area. He added the second goal with a header in the last minute of the first half and scored again in the 87th minute to secure South Korea’s win. Meanwhile, Thailand defeated Singapore 3-1 in this group, with Suphanat Mueanta scoring twice.
In Group B, Japan continued its dominance and beat Syria 5-0 as guests in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Takegush Kubo scored two goals for Japan. North Korea secured its first win of the campaign by beating Myanmar 6-1 in Yangon, with Jong Il Gwan scoring a hat-trick.
Australia celebrated away to Palestine with a 1-0 Harry Souttar goal in the 18th minute in a very high-quality match played on neutral ground in Kuwait. Bangladesh and Lebanon drew 1-1 earlier in this group.
Iraq came back from behind to beat hosts Vietnam 1-0 in Group F thanks to Mohanad Ali’s goal scored in stoppage time. In this group, Philippines and Indonesia drew 1-1