AFC Asian Qualifiers
Boosted by their top place finish in the second round, Oman head coach Jaroslav Silhavy will not shy away from making changes to his squad ahead of their third round campaign, with eight spots available for the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Factfile
How they got there: Round 2 Group D winners
2022 AFC Asian Qualifiers Record: Eliminated in Third round
Previous FIFA World Cup appearances: Nil
Head Coach: Jaroslav Silhavy (CZE)
Fun Fact: Oman have only failed to advance past the second round twice (2006, 2018) in the last five qualifying editions.
Oman suffered an early setback to their second round campaign as after seeing off Chinese Taipei 2-0, they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Kyrgyz Republic, with head coach Branko Ivanovic departing shortly after.
Tasked with reviving their campaign, Silhavy recalled several former players, including striker Abdulaziz Al Maqbali, midfielder Hatim Al Roushdi and defender Mohammed Al Musallami.
The decision paid off handsomely for Silhavy as Oman secured consecutive home and away wins against Malaysia. Victory against Chinese Taipei meant qualification for the third round with a match to spare and a 1-1 stalemate against Kyrgyz Republic saw the Central Asian side seal top spot.
Silhavy will be banking on the same commitment and discipline from his players to secure their first-ever World Cup appearance.
Silhavy will be banking on the same commitment and discipline from his players to secure their first-ever World Cup appearance.
