Tehran, March 20 (QNA) - Iran's national team moved closer to securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, after defeating the UAE 2-0 on Thursday in the seventh round of Group A in the third stage of the Asian qualifiers.

In another match from the same round, Uzbekistan secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan in Tashkent.

In the first match, Sardar Azmoun put Iran ahead just before halftime, scoring in the final minute of the first half. Mohammad Mohebi then doubled the lead in the 70th minute to seal the win.

In the second match, Khojimat Erkinov scored Uzbekistan’s only goal in the 40th minute. The game also saw Said Datsiev receive a red card in the 24th minute, forcing Kyrgyzstan to play with ten men for the remainder of the match.

With these results, Iran now needs just one more point to officially qualify for the World Cup, as they lead Group A with 19 points, three points ahead of Uzbekistan, which sits in second place. A single point from the remaining matches will be enough for Iran to join Japan, the first Asian team to secure qualification, and book their place in the World Cup for the seventh time in their history.

On the other hand, the UAE remains in third place with 10 points, while Kyrgyzstan stays at the bottom of the group in sixth place with only three points. The group also includes Qatar and North Korea. (QNA)