UAE made to wait to discover final make-up of group on first steps to 2026 World Cup

The UAE will take on Bahrain and another two first-round qualifiers on the early road to the 2026 World Cup, after the draw for the second round of qualification was made in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

The national team, seeking to reach the country’s second global finals, will begin their Group H campaign on November 16, but must wait until October to discover which of Yemen or Sri Lanka, and Nepal or Laos will complete the pool.

Those teams, four of the 20 contesting Round 1, must negotiate a two-legged play-off to advance to the second round, with the matches played on October 12 and 17.

For Thursday’s draw, the UAE were placed in Pot 1, which also featured the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Japan, Iran, Australia and South Korea.

Saudi Arabia, looking to qualify for a third successive World Cup and seventh overall, will head Group G against Jordan, Tajikistan and the winner of the play-off between Cambodia and Pakistan.