Australia secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Jeddah on Tuesday, while Palestine’s hopes of a maiden World Cup appearance came to a heartbreaking end following a dramatic injury-time equaliser from Oman.
Group C: Australia Book Their Ticket
Heading into the final matchday as favourites to clinch the second automatic qualifying spot, Australia delivered when it mattered, overcoming group rivals Saudi Arabia in their own backyard.
The hosts, managed by Herve Renard, knew they needed to beat Australia by at least five goals to leapfrog them into second place. They made a promising start when Abdulrahman Al-Aboud opened the scoring in the 19th minute.
However, Australia equalised just before the break thanks to a powerful left-footed strike from Connor Metcalfe. Three minutes into the second half, Mitch Duke headed in Martin Boyle’s cross to give the Socceroos the lead — a goal that ultimately sealed qualification.
With this result, Australia finish second in Group C, behind group winners Japan. Saudi Arabia, despite a spirited effort, must now settle for a place in the fourth round of qualifiers alongside Indonesia.
Group B: Heartbreak for Palestine
In Group B, Palestine’s World Cup dream was crushed in the final moments of their match against Oman, ending in a 1-1 draw in Amman.
Palestine, forced to play home games at a neutral venue, took the lead in the 49th minute through Oday Kharoub, who rose to meet Adam Kaied’s corner with a perfect header into the top corner.
Oman’s situation worsened when Harib Al-Saadi was sent off in the 73rd minute after receiving a second yellow card. Despite being down to 10 men, Oman kept pressing.
Their persistence paid off deep into stoppage time. In the 97th minute, Muhsen Al-Ghassani was brought down in the box, and Issam Al-Sabhi calmly converted the resulting penalty to snatch a point.
The draw saw Oman edge ahead of Palestine in the standings, finishing fourth in the group and progressing to the next round of qualification — leaving Palestine heartbreakingly short of a historic breakthrough.
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