Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
The final round of the third stage of AFC qualification for the 2026 World Cup is set to take place in the coming days. Australia currently sit second in the group, holding a three-point advantage over Saudi Arabia. For Saudi Arabia to leapfrog Australia, they would not only need to secure a victory but also overturn an eight-goal difference. While that scenario is virtually impossible, the contest remains mathematically open, which means Saudi Arabia will be fully committed to chasing a win. Australia, on the other hand, only need a draw and are unlikely to allow Saudi Arabia too much freedom.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia have delivered a respectable qualifying campaign, particularly in the latter half. They collected points in three matches — victories over China (1:0) and Bahrain (2:0), along with a goalless draw against Japan. Saudi Arabia’s defence has now gone four consecutive games without conceding and continues to display commendable discipline. However, the attacking output remains modest: Saudi Arabia have scored just six goals across the qualifiers, and the previous meeting between Saudi Arabia and Australia ended in a dull 0:0 stalemate.
Australia
Australia are unbeaten in eight straight matches. In the most recent rounds, they recorded three wins, conceding only once — a 5:1 triumph over Indonesia. Australia are defensively solid, having kept clean sheets in seven of their last nine away fixtures. That said, three of their four away matches in this stage have ended in draws, and in five previous encounters between Australia and Saudi Arabia, three also finished level.
Saudi Arabia vs Australia Prediction
This is expected to be a hard-fought, tactically tight fixture. Saudi Arabia are likely to start assertively but will remain cautious given the threat posed by Australia on the counter. Overall, Saudi Arabia and Australia are evenly matched, and this clash is unlikely to produce a winner.
