The Hong Kong men's football team on Tuesday advanced into the next round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, despite losing 2-0 at Bhutan in the second leg of the first round matchup.

The SAR won 4-2 on aggregate after last week's 4-0 victory in Hong Kong.

Chencho Gyeltshen's header on the 28th minute was the difference in the first half, with Hong Kong's Matthew Orr seeing his header clip the crossbar minutes from halftime.

Bhutan piled on the pressure with a second goal moments after the break, as Lobzang Chogyal slotted it into the top right corner from outside the box.

Hong Kong players appeared to be a step slower in the high altitude compared to how they did in the SAR last week, but they were able to withstand the pressure until the final whistle.

The SAR will next face Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with the top two teams from the group advancing further.

The games are concurrently played as qualifiers for the Asian Cup in 2027.