On October 17, the Guam men's soccer team hosted the Singapore men's soccer team in a heated battle. As the game entered the white-hot stage, the Singapore men's soccer team accidentally scored a goal, beating Guam by a thrilling score of 1-0, and advancing to the World Cup with a total score of 3-1. The result means that Guam became the first Asian team not to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Asian World Cup qualifying tournament has been restructured due to the expansion of the World Cup, with 20 teams facing off against each other in the first phase to determine the top 10. These 10 teams will compete with the top 27 teams in Asia for a place in the top 36.
The matchup between Guam and Singapore attracted a lot of attention as the winner will have a chance to challenge the Asian powerhouse. In the first round matchup, Singapore narrowly won 2-1 at home. Guam would advance to the next round if they could remain undefeated in the second round. However, fate did not seem to be on Guam's side.
Guam's men's soccer team is ranked 201st in Asia, while Singapore comes in at 157th. Despite Guam's best efforts at home, the difference in strength was obvious. Towards the end of the second half, a Guam player was unfortunate enough to score an own goal, resulting in a 0-1 defeat.
After this match, Singapore eliminated Guam with a 3-1 aggregate score to advance to the second stage of the Asian Zone Qualifiers, i.e. the Round of 36. They will be part of Group C, where the national soccer team is based, and their group opponents have also been announced.
