Palestine snatched a 0-0 draw from South Korea in the third round of Group 2 matches for the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Palestinian Wissam Abu Ali almost snatched the win in stoppage time, but he wasted a dangerous opportunity from a one-on-one situation.
Goalkeeper Rami Hamada shone in the face of the host team’s offensive attempts throughout the match, forcing a draw.
Palestine thought they had taken the lead in the 22nd minute through Tamer Siam, but the goal was disallowed due to his teammate Yasser Hamad being offside while executing a free kick.
The Palestinian goalkeeper saved a dangerous shot from Lee Kang-in, who executed a perfect free kick from close range in the 73rd minute.
Rami Hamada shines and saves the Palestinian national team’s goal from a dangerous ball#RoadtoWorldCup2026 #WorldCupQualifiers #Palestine_South_Korea pic.twitter.com/tJpMrrqPtp
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 5, 2024
Adi Al-Dabbagh escaped from his marker inside the penalty area, but he lacked accuracy when executing a header after a cross pass from Musab Al-Batat, and the ball went over the South Korean goal 8 minutes before the end.
The top two teams in this group – which also includes Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Kuwait – automatically qualify for the World Cup finals, while the third and fourth teams advance to another round of qualifiers.
Asia has secured 8 guaranteed seats in the 2026 World Cup, with the possibility of obtaining an additional seat through a play-off involving teams from different continents.