The Iran national team won 3-2 against Kyrgyzstan in the sixth round match of the third stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone.

For the winners, goals were scored by Mehdi Taremi (12th minute), Saleh Hardani (33rd), and Sardar Azmoun (76th). For the hosts, Joel Kodjo scored a brace (51st and 64th minutes).

With 16 points, the Iran national team confidently leads Group A. Kyrgyzstan, with three points, occupies the fifth spot in the standings.

In a parallel match of Group A, Uzbekistan narrowly defeated North Korea 1-0 in Vientiane, Laos. The winning goal was scored by Abbosbek Fayzullaev in the 44th minute. In the 83rd minute, Uzbekistan was reduced to ten players after Umar Eshmorodov was sent off. North Korea had a chance to equalize in the 85th minute, but Chong Il Gwan missed a penalty.

Uzbekistan (13 points) retains second place in Group A, which gives them a direct spot in the World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

It is worth noting that both teams had previously competed in the same group ("A") with the Turkmenistan national team in the second round of the qualifiers. As a result, Iran and Uzbekistan, finishing in the top two spots, continued their fight for a World Cup berth. Turkmenistan and Hong Kong, finishing third and fourth respectively, will participate in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

According to the current FIFA rankings, Iran is in 19th place, Uzbekistan is in 58th, Kyrgyzstan is in 103rd, Tajikistan is in 105th, and Turkmenistan is in 144th place.