In Asia’s preliminary round for the 2026 World Cup, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Myanmar emerged victorious in their first-leg matches. Hong Kong defeated Bhutan 4-0, Indonesia cruised past Brunei with a 6-0 win, and Myanmar secured a 5-1 victory over Macau.
Hong Kong got off to a strong start, with two early headers from Michael Udebuluzor in the 10th and 16th minutes. Shinichi Chan added a third goal, and Bhutan contributed an own goal in the 35th minute. This comprehensive victory puts Hong Kong in a favorable position ahead of the second leg in Thimphu.
Jorn Andersen, the head coach of Hong Kong, said, “We played a good first half. I think we did many good things, we created a lot of chances, we made goals. Maybe we could have had more goals in the first half, we had big chances. But I really have to say I was not satisfied with the second half.”
Myanmar outperformed Macau, with a final score of 5-1. Myanmar’s goals were scored by Soe Moe Kyaw, Aung Kaung Mann, Nay Moe Naing, and Lwin Moe Aung, while Niki Torrao netted one for Macau. The two teams will meet again in Macau.
Indonesia dominated Brunei, sealing a 6-0 victory in Jakarta. Dimas Drajad contributed a hat-trick for Indonesia, with a late goal two minutes into stoppage time.
In other first-leg matches, Taiwan defeated Timor-Leste 4-0, while Bangladesh secured a 1-1 draw with the Maldives. Singapore earned a 2-1 win against Guam, and Nepal drew 1-1 with Laos. Cambodia played to a goalless draw with Pakistan.
Elsewhere, Afghanistan won 1-0 against a 10-man Mongolia, and Yemen took a 3-0 lead over Sri Lanka, with goals from Ahmed Maher, Nasser Mohammedoh, and Abdulwasea Al Matari.
The second leg matches are scheduled for Tuesday, with the winners advancing to the second round. In the subsequent phase of the preliminaries, 36 teams will be divided into nine groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the third phase. Asia will have eight World Cup berths for the expanded 48-team tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with a potential ninth spot via an intercontinental playoff.
