Qatar hosts Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Pro League, which is packed with world-class players and is owned by Manchester City. Such international attention has left regional neighbors such as Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain struggling to keep up. Qualifying for an extended World Cup, however, will make a difference.
For such teams, there is a real chance to appear in the third round of five, which begins on Thursday. Qatar will have 48 in North America in 2026, up from 32 teams in 2022. The automatic allocation has been doubled from four to eight. Along with the usual contenders such as Japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia and Saudi Arabia, there is now room for some new names.
Opportunities for all
Or some old names. In the 70s and 80s, it was a continental powerhouse, winning the Asian Cup in 1980 and playing in the World Cup – the first Asian Arab nation to do so – two years later. That was a long time ago. Nadir was banned by FIFA in 2015 due to Kuwaiti government interference in the running of Kuwaiti football. The ban lasted for two years and put the country behind the UAE and similar sized nations.
“Because of that suspension, we don’t have many good young players and the fans are more interested in the local league than the national team,” Abdullah Al-Mutairi, who coached Kuwait Premier League club Al-Zahra last season, told DW. . “It will really help football in Kuwait to qualify (for the World Cup) because there are so many problems.”
Now, Kuwait is one of 18 Asian teams in the third round that have been divided into three groups of six. First and second will automatically qualify while the third and fourth place teams will go on to compete for the other two places in the fourth round.
Al-Mutairi, now Sri Lanka’s interim head coach, does not expect Kuwait to challenge for the top two spots, but is at least likely to finish fourth in a group containing South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Palestine.
“Will qualify easily and Iraq and Jordan will fight for second,” Al-Mutairi said. “Then it is among others for the fourth. It is very difficult, but if Kuwait can get one or two good results in the first four matches, there will be support from the country and the government.
Kuwait has appointed a renowned coach. Juan Antonio Pizzi led Chile to the Copa America in 2016. The former Barcelona player knows the region well with past spells in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“To go to the World Cup is an opportunity for many teams that don’t normally go and that’s the dream,” Al-Mutairi added.
From Asian success to global competition
Ranked 76th in the world, 60 places above Kuwait, they impressed in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, finishing just one point behind Australia and just missing out on the final round. Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic was in charge at the time. “The improvement came because of hard work,” Ivankovic told DW. “Oman can qualify for World Cup this time.”
For fan Omar Al-Amri, a good start would really energize the country. “We finished fourth in a tough group in 2022 and this time it will give us a real chance at the World Cup,” he told DW. “Getting there will help a league that doesn’t have a lot of fans. It will bring more people and excitement, as well as more money. All these things are needed, but the best thing would be to see Oman in the World Cup.”
Building a foundation for continued success is the key. Unlike Muscat in Oman, the Jordanian capital of Amman has long been a difficult, hostile and noisy place for visiting teams. However, the national team has also never been to the World Cup.
The Al-Nashama, as they are nicknamed, must be in a better position than their neighbors. The team has made it to the final stages of qualification before and earlier this year in the Asian Cup, beating Group B rivals Iraq and South Korea en route to the final was a loss to hosts Qatar.
“That success didn’t put extra pressure on us,” Jordan defender Abdallah Nasib said. “We have had a dream for a long time in this country and that is to go to the World Cup. We are optimistic that we can finish in the top two spots.”
This is the closest this century has come. The Reds reached the final inter-continental playoffs for the 2010 tournament. A missed penalty against New Zealand cost Bahrain a place in South Africa, and the team hasn’t been the same force since.
“Like Oman, Bahrain finds it difficult because they don’t have money from other nations,” Al-Mutairi said. “They have big dreams but often, everything is destroyed when they lose their first match.”
An extended World Cup gives teams more opportunity to recover from poor starts. Bahrain’s opening game in Australia, followed by a home tie with Japan, could well leave them with zero points. But the third match, at home to Indonesia, is when the battle for the top four really begins.
Fans from around the region will be watching, including Oman supporters Al-Amri. “Earlier we had a chance to get past Japan and Australia but now we just need to beat Palestine and Kuwait. This is the difference and the fans are excited.”
Edited by: Matt Pearson
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