Controversy over Group B host selection in 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers

AFC has just conducted the draw for Round 4 of 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers where Indonesia was placed in Group B alongside Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The complete draw results are:

• Group A: Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman
• Group B: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia

The meeting with Iraq is not the first for Indonesia — the Garuda squad previously suffered heavy defeats of 5-1 in Basra and 0-2 in Jakarta during the second round. Meanwhile against Saudi Arabia in the third round, Indonesia recorded positive results with a 2-0 home victory and a 1-1 draw in Jeddah.

Controversy emerged in the selection of Group B host — AFC chose Qatar and Saudi Arabia despite July FIFA rankings showing Qatar and Iraq ranked higher. AFC explained that pot determination was based on June FIFA rankings to avoid the possibility of Qatar and Saudi Arabia being in the same group.