Having finished as runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, Jordan made the continent stand up and take notice after beating the likes of Iraq and Korea Republic to reach the final for the first time and will now ride on a wave of confidence as they aim to break further ground by qualifying for their maiden FIFA World Cup.

Things got off to a difficult start for them in Group G with Yazan Al Naimat sparing their blushes with a stoppage-time equaliser against Tajikistan in their opening match, before suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Saudi Arabia. The rescue mission started in Islamabad when superstar Mousa Al Taamari’s double guided them to a 3-0 win against Pakistan.

Hussein Ammouta’s side then put seven goals without reply past Pakistan in the reverse fixture followed by a 3-0 home win against Tajikistan going into the final group game. An impressive 2-1 win in Riyadh versus Saudi Arabia courtesy of goals from Ali Olwan and Noor Al Rawabdeh meant they finished as table-toppers as the country’s golden generation of players have their eyes firmly set on their greatest achievement to date.

Saudi Arabia made their FIFA World Cup bow in 1994 when Saeed Al Owairan etched himself into Asian football folklore when his unforgettable solo goal helped his team beat Belgium as the debutants reached the Round of 16. Since then, five more World Cup appearances followed with Salem Al Dawsari’s mesmerising winner against eventual winners Argentina at Qatar 2022 becoming the nation’s greatest moment to savour.

The Green Falcons made the perfect start to qualification as they scored seven and conceded none at the halfway mark of the group stage, with Saleh Al Shehri scoring four of those. A 1-1 draw away to Tajikistan in Dushanbe briefly halted their momentum before Firas Al Buraikan’s double helped them secure a comfortable 3-0 win over Pakistan.

A 2-1 defeat to Jordan on Matchday Six ultimately cost them top spot on goal difference but with the decorated Italian tactician Roberto Mancini at the helm and boasting the reigning AFC Player of the Year Al Dawsari, the Saudis will be one of the toughest sides to go up against in the third round.

In contrast, neighbours United Arab Emirates are aiming to end a long drought dating back to 1990, when it was the first and the only time they appeared in the FIFA World Cup. The Emiratis went close in 2022 when a narrow 2-1 loss to Australia denied them a place in the Inter-Continental playoff for a coveted spot.

The nation’s all-time top-scorer Ali Mabkhout scored three goals in two matches to guide his side to routine wins against Nepal and Bahrain at the start of qualification. However, since then the talismanic forward has been omitted from the squad by head coach Paulo Bento as they registered back-to-back wins against Yemen with his 20-year-old replacement Sultan Adil scoring in both matches.

Another youngster, Harib Abdalla, scored twice on Matchday Five versus Nepal in a 4-0 win as UAE cruised through to finish top of Group H. Adil was then once again on target as his equaliser in a 1-1 stalemate with Bahrain meant that the Emiratis went through with an unbeaten record, racking up 16 goals and 16 points in the process.

Bahrain’s greatest footballing achievement came in 2004 when they defeated Uzbekistan to reach the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup only to go down after a brave fight against Japan in the semi-finals. Two decades on, the Gulf nation is hoping to reach the FIFA World Cup for the very first time.

Influential midfielder Mohamed Marhoon was on target in a 2-0 opening-day qualification victory over Yemen before losing to UAE by the same scoreline, but comprehensive 5-0 and 3-0 wins against Nepal put their progression hopes back on track. Despite being held to draws against Yemen and UAE in their final two matches, Bahrain comfortably clinched the Group H runners-up spot by finishing six points ahead of nearest challengers Yemen.

The West Asian side won their group at the recent AFC Asian Cup ahead of big hitters Korea Republic and Jordan, and now with 2004 AFC Champions League™ winner Dragan Talajic at the helm, it should give Bahrain plenty of optimism going into the next round.

The Socceroos first qualified for the FIFA World Cup way back in 1974, but then had to wait until 2006 to return and have since never missed qualification to be amongst the world’s elite. However, in the last two editions Australia have had to do it the hard way via the Inter-Continental playoff, and notably beat Denmark to reach the Round of 16 in 2022.

This time round, they have been only one of two teams, along with Japan, who are yet to concede any goals in what has been a smooth passage to the third round. Harry Souttar scored their first goal of the campaign in a 7-0 win over Bangladesh in Melbourne, before the Leicester City centre-back scored the only goal of the game against Palestine.

Seven goals across Sydney and Canberra in two matches against Lebanon saw them cruising followed by Ajdin Hrustic and Kusini Yengi each netting to beat Bangladesh in Dhaka. Australia finished the campaign with a dominant 5-0 triumph against Palestine in Perth in which new Bayern Munich signing Nestory Irankunda opened his Socceroos account in just his second senior appearance.

And finally, Palestine, who after their history-making AFC Asian Cup campaign earlier this year when they drew against UAE and defeated Hong Kong, China to reach the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time, have carried the momentum to book a ticket to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time.

It all started with a gritty display in a goalless stalemate with Lebanon in Sharjah followed by a narrow 1-0 loss to Australia on Matchday Two. Star forward Oday Dabbagh then took centre stage with his first-ever national team hat-trick powering them to a 5-0 success against Bangladesh.

Michel Termanini’s 94th-minute winner in Dhaka gave the Palestinians a priceless three points before another sturdy goalless draw against Lebanon. Despite defeat to Australia on Matchday Six, it was joy for Palestine as they finished two points ahead of Lebanon to join Indonesia and Kyrgyz Republic as the first timers who will compete in the third round.