MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday. While there was late drama there was little quality on display.

The third round of FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers continues to provide nail-biting clashes with Saudi Arabia holding Australia to a goalless draw on return of its coach Herve Renard.

The top two teams in Group C secure direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while third and fourth place go into the next round of qualifying. It only magnifies the importance of Thursday night’s crunch clash with the Saudis at AAMI Park, then the away match against Bahrain four days later in Riffa.

Australia hosts Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Melbourne on Thursday while Japan and South Korea can take a big step towards North America in 2026 when the third round of Asian qualifying reaches the halfway stage.

Australia and Saudi Arabia meet in Melbourne on Thursday night in a crucial World Cup qualification match. Both sides are level on five points in their group, with Australia holding a slightly better goal differential. ABC Sport will be live blogging the World Cup qualifier between Australia and Saudi Arabia from 7pm AEDT.