AKIPRESS.COM - Kyrgyzstan’s national football team has completed its journey in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

They began directly from the second round, placed in a group with Oman, Malaysia, and Chinese Taipei. Under Slovak head coach Štefan Tarkovič, Kyrgyzstan finished second in the group, making history by qualifying for the third round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time and also securing a spot in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Afterward, Tarkovič was replaced by Maksim Lisitsyn, and Kyrgyzstan was drawn into a tough third-round group alongside Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar, UAE and North Korea.

Kyrgyzstan finished with 8 points placing 5th in the group. Despite staying in contention until matchday 9, they ultimately missed out on advancing to the fourth round.

Thus, Kyrgyzstan ends its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. The tournament will be hosted by Canada, the USA and Mexico.