Bahrain

After matchday eight of Asia's World Cup qualifiers, ESPN's writers answer the burning questions, provide analysis and break down the biggest performances across the continent.

Who will win the 2026 World Cup? A team stacked with talent, surely. We've devised a way to rank countries by the talent in their squads.

Japan became the first side to reach the 2026 World Cup, qualifying after beating Bahrain.

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS OF JAPAN PLAYING BAHRAIN IN A SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

Dragan Talajić is supremely confident his Bahrain side will pull of a huge upset against Japan on Thursday.

Australia have held on to the second automatic qualifying place in their 2026 World Cup group, drawing 2-2 in Bahrain after a dramatic finale.

Indonesia are still unbeaten in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the World Cup but came agonisingly close to a historic win.

The passage of time tends to smooth the rough edges of most legacies but Graham Arnold's time in charge of the Socceroos tells a tangled tale of one of Australian football's most influential figures, writes Joey Lynch.

Graham Arnold has stepped down as Socceroos manager before Australia's next World Cup qualifier in October.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson has backed Socceroos boss Graham Arnold to rebound from a winless start to the third phase of Asian qualification, saying the organisation would "put our faith" in the coach to engineer a turnaround.