One scenario for the UAE to qualify against Iraq

An official source in the Asian Football Confederation told Emirates Al-Youm that the two-goal rule is not applied for away goals in the final stage qualifiers for the global playoff for the 2026 World Cup.

The source explained: “The Asian Confederation has adopted the mechanism to break the tie in the Asian playoff match between the UAE and Iraq teams, as if the two-legged matches between them end in a tie in the total results, two additional periods will be resorted to during the return match, which will be held at Basra International Stadium. The additional periods consist of two periods of 15 minutes each, and constitute an essential part of the second match time.”
He added: “If the tie continues after the end of extra time, the match will be decided by penalty kicks in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the laws of the game to determine the qualifying team.”