The Fall of Kuwait's World Cup Dreams
Palestine secures victory over Kuwait, eliminating the latter from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In an exciting turn of events, the Kuwaiti national football team's World Cup aspirations crumbled after a disheartening 2-0 loss against Palestine in the ninth round of Group B action. This defeat took place at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, marking Palestine's initial triumph over Kuwait in an official match.
The defeat left Kuwait struggling at the bottom of the group with a meager six points, while Palestine climbed up to nine points, just a single point ahead of Oman. With the two teams squaring off in a pivotal decisive final-round encounter on Tuesday, they will face off once more to decide who secures fourth place and advances to the intercontinental play-off.
Meanwhile, South Korea and Jordan have already sealed their spots for the World Cup after dominant victories over Iraq (2-0) and Oman (3-0), respectively. Iraq will now compete in the play-off round.
The match began promisingly for Kuwait, as they created several opportunities for scoring early on, only to fail to capitalize. Palestine seized the chance to score on a defensive blunder by Kuwait, taking advantage of a mistake between Hassan Hamdan and Fahad Al-Hajri. Adi Al-Dabbagh capitalized on the error, setting up Tamer Seyam for an easy goal near the post past keeper Khaled Al-Rashidi.
Injury forced veteran striker Youssef Nasser to exit the game, making way for debutant Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi in stoppage time. Halfway through the second half, Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi made strategic changes, introducing Ahmed Al-Zanki and Mubarak Al-Fanini for Reda Hani and Rashid Al-Dosari, respectively. Despite Fahad Al-Hajri's close call with a header and Hamad Al-Harbi's later entry to replace the fatigued Al-Dhafiri, Kuwait failed to find the back of the net.
Kuwait's best chance to score came in the 78th minute as Daham found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Rami Hamada. Hamada denied Daham with a crucial save. Pizzi then subbed on Moaz Al-Aseema for Jassim Al-Matar.
Palestine sealed their victory in the 88th minute when substitute Zaid Qanbar was fouled by Al-Zanki within the box. A VAR review followed, resulting in a penalty being awarded and converted by Wissam Abu Ali.
In the dying moments, Kuwait fought valiantly but were shut down by Hamada, who thwarted Youssef Majed's shot, and the crossbar, which prevented Mishari Ghannam's header. Al-Rashidi also made vital saves to prevent Qanbar from extending Palestine's lead.
With this loss, Kuwait concludes their qualifying journey, while Palestine's hopes of advancing rest on their upcoming clash with Oman.
World Cup Qualification Journey
Kuwait is currently participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The team is placed in Group A for the second round, along with Qatar, India, and Afghanistan. As of the latest available standings:
- Qatar: 5 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses, +15 goal difference, 16 points
- Kuwait: 2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses, 0 goal difference, 7 points
- India: 1 win, 2 draws, 3 losses, -4 goal difference, 5 points
- Afghanistan: 1 win, 2 draws, 3 losses, -11 goal difference, 5 points
The specific upcoming matches for Kuwait in the second round have not been detailed in the search results. To stay updated on upcoming matches and schedules, checking the FIFA or AFC official websites is recommended. If Kuwait advances past the second round, they will progress to the third round of AFC qualification. In the third round, the top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while third-placed teams will move on to the fourth round.
Stay tuned for more updates on Kuwait's World Cup qualifying journey!
In the midst of European leagues and the Premier League, the Kuwaiti national football team found its World Cup qualification dreams shattered after a 2-0 loss against Palestine. This setback puts Kuwait's ambitions for the intercontinental play-off in jeopardy.
Despite participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Kuwait's journey to the World Cup has taken a tumultuous turn, leaving them trailing behind in Group A behind Qatar, India, and Afghanistan.
