KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia were drawn to take on Iraq and Indonesia in the fourth phase of Asia`s preliminaries for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday with back-toback Asian Cup winners Qatar facing the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The winners of each of the three-team groups, which will be played in October, will join already-qualified Australia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran and Jordan at next year`s expanded 48-nation finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Saudi Arabia, who are attempting to qualify for a seventh World Cup finals since 1994, will host Group `A` and open against Indonesia on Oct 8.

Patrick Kluivert`s Indonesia, trying to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1938, will then play Graham Arnold`sIraq on Oct 11 before the Saudis and Iraq face off on Oct 14.

Indonesia have embarked on a recruitment drive of Dutch-born players and backroom staff to bolster their bid for a first World Cup finals berth since becoming an independent nation.

Jordi Cruyff, son of Dutch football legend Johan, was in February appointed technical adviser to the Football Association of Indonesia to work alongside Kluivert.

Indonesia last qualified for a World Cup while still under Dutch colonial rule and lost 6-0 to Hungary in their only match of that tournament, hosted by France.

They will face a difficult task against Middle East giants Saudi Arabia, who have home advantage and have qualified for the last two editions of the World Cup.

Iraq have only qualified once in their his-tory, in 1986.

Group `B` hosts Qatar, organisers of the 2022 World Cup but who have never qualified for the finals, will take on Oman in their first game on Oct 8. UAE will face the Omanis on Oct 11, with Qatar and the UAE meeting on Oct 14.

The UAE reached the World Cup one time, in 1990, while Oman have never qualified.

The nations finishing in second place in each group will advance to a further round of qualifying, which will be held over two legs in November on a home-and-away basis.

Asia has been granted eight guaranteed berths at the finals. A possible ninth berth is available to the winner of November`s match-up via an intercontinental playoff in March.-Agencies