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2018 QUALIFIERS - AFC
2018 QUALIFIERS
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2018 QUALIFIERS
•
Asia (AFC): 4.5 spots. 46 teams will compete
for 4 direct places. The winner of the other 0.5 place would progress to the Inter-confederation playoff.
FIRST ROUND: Playoff Format
•
A total of 12 teams (teams ranked 35–46) will play home-and-away over two legs.
The first round draw has been scheduled to take place on 10 February 2015
Ranked
Flag
Team
35
India
36
Sri Lanka
37
Yemen
38
Cambodia
39
Chinese-Taipei
40
Timor-Leste
41
Nepal
42
Macau
43
Pakistan
44
Mongolia
45
Brunei
46
Bhutan
Schedule
12 Mar 15
India
2-0
Nepal
12 Mar 15
Yemen
3-1
Pakistan
12 Mar 15
Timor-Leste
4-1
Mongolia
12 Mar 15
Cambodia
3-0
Macau
12 Mar 15
Chinese Taipei
0-1
Brunei
12 Mar 15
Sri Lanka
0-1
Bhutan
17 Mar 15
Nepal
0-0
India
23 Mar 15
Pakistan
0-0
Yemen
17 Mar 15
Mongolia
0-1
Timor-Leste
17 Mar 15
Macau
1-1
Cambodia
17 Mar 15
Brunei
0-2
Chinese Taipei
17 Mar 15
Bhutan
2-1
Sri Lanka
India won 2-0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Timor-Leste won 5-1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Bhutan won 3-1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Cambodia won 4-1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
China-Taipei won 2-1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Yemen won 3-1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
SECOND ROUND: Round-robin Format
•
A total of 40 teams will be divided into eight groups of five to play home-and-away round-robin matches, where the eight group winners and the four best group runners-up will advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification as well as qualify for the AFC Asian Cup finals
Pot 2
Pos
Rank Flag
Team
9
95
Saudi Arabia
10
97
Oman
11
99
Qatar
12
103
Jordan
13
108
Bahrain
14
125
Vietnam
15
126
Syria
16
127
Kuwait
Pot 3
Pos
Rank Flag
Team
17
135
Afghanistan
18
139
Philippines
19
140
Palestine
20
141
Maldives
21
142
Thailand
22
143
Tajikistan
23
144
Lebanon
24
147
India
Pot 4
Pos
Rank Flag
Team
25
152
Timor-Leste
26
153
Kyrgyzstan
27
157
North Korea
28
158
Myanmar
29
159
Turkmenistan
30
159
Indonesia
31
161
Singapore
32
163
Bhutan
Pot 5
Pos
Rank Flag
Team
33
164
Malaysia
34
167
Hong Kong
35
167
Bangladesh
36
170
Yemen
37
175
Guam
38
178
Laos
39
179
Cambodia
40
179
Chinese-Taipei
The draw for the second round was held on 14 April 2015, at the AFC House in Malaysia.
Group A
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Saudi Arabia
8
6
2
0
28
4
24
20
2
UAE
8
5
2
1
25
4
21
17
3
Palestine
8
4
3
2
22
6
16
12
4
Malaysia
8
1
1
6
3
30
-27
4
5
Timor-Leste
8
0
2
6
2
36
-34
2
11 Jun 15
Palestine
2-3
Saudi Arabia
11 Jun 15
Malaysia
1-1
Timor-Leste
16 Jun 15
Timor-Leste
0-1
UAE
16 Jun 15
Malaysia
0-6
Palestine
3 Sep 15
UAE
10-0
Malaysia
3 Sep 15
Saudi Arabia
7-0
Timor-Leste
8 Sep 15
Malaysia
0-3*
Saudi Arabia
8 Sep 15
Palestine
0-0
UAE
8 Oct 15
Timor-Leste
1-1
Palestine
8 Oct 15
Saudi Arabia
2-1
UAE
13 Oct 15
Saudi Arabia
0-0*
Palestine
13 Oct 15
Timor-Leste
0-1
Malaysia
12 Nov 15
UAE
8-0
Timor-Leste
12 Nov 15
Palestine
6-0
Malaysia
17 Nov 15
Malaysia
1-2
UAE
17 Nov 15
Timor-Leste
0-10
Saudi Arabia
24 Mar 16
Saudi Arabia
2-0
Malaysia
24 Mar 16
UAE
2-0
Palestine
29 Mar 16
Palestine
7-0
Timor-Leste
29 Mar 16
UAE
1-1
Saudi Arabia
* Saudi Arabia an UAE qualified for the next stage.
* The Malaysia v Saudi Arabia match was abandoned during the 87th minute after a group of supporters threw objects onto the pitch. At the time of the abandonment the score was 2–1 to Saudi Arabia. On 5 October 2015, FIFA decided that the match should be declared as lost by forfeit by Malaysia (0–3).
* The postponed match between Palestine and Saudi Arabia was played in the neutral venue of Amman, Jordan on 9 November.
Group B
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Australia 8
7
0
1
29
4
25
21
2
Jordan 8
5
1
2
21
7
14
16
3
Kyrgyzstan
8
4
2
2
10
8
2
14
4
Tajikistan
8
1
2
5
9
20
-11
5
5
Bangladesh
8
0
1
7
2
32
-30
1
11 Jun 15
Tajikistan
1-3
Jordan
11 Jun 15
Bangladesh
1-3
Kyrgyzstan
16 Jun 15
Kyrgyzstan
1-2
16 Jun 15
Bangladesh
1-1
Tajikistan
3 Sep 15
5-0
Bangladesh
3 Sep 15
Jordan
0-0
Kyrgyzstan
8 Sep 15
Bangladesh
0-4
Jordan
8 Sep 15
Tajikistan
0-3
8 Oct 15
Kyrgyzstan
2-2
Tajikistan
8 Oct 15
Jordan
2-0
13 Oct 15
Jordan
3-0
Tajikistan
13 Oct 15
Kyrgyzstan
2-0
Bangladesh
12 Nov 15
3-0
Kyrgyzstan
12 Nov 15
Tajikistan
5-0
Bangladesh
17 Nov 15
Bangladesh
0-4
17 Nov 15
Kyrgyzstan
1-0
Jordan
24 Mar 16
Jordan
8-0
Bangladesh
24 Mar 16
7-0
Tajikistan
29 Mar 16
Tajikistan
0-1
Kyrgyzstan
29 Mar 16
5-1
Jordan
Group C
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Qatar
8
7
0
1
29
4
25
21
2
China PR
8
5
2
1
27
1
26
17
3
Hong Kong
8
4
2
2
13
5
8
14
4
Maldives
8
2
0
6
8
20
-12
6
5
Bhutan
8
0
0
8
5
52
-47
0
11 Jun 15
Maldives
0-1
Qatar
11 Jun 15
Hong Kong
7-0
Bhutan
16 Jun 15
Bhutan
0-6
China PR
16 Jun 15
Hong Kong
2-0
Maldives
3 Sep 15
China PR
0-0
Hong Kong
3 Sep 15
Qatar
15-0
Bhutan
8 Sep 15
Hong Kong
2-3
Qatar
8 Sep 15
Maldives
0-3
China PR
8 Oct 15
Bhutan
3-4
Maldives
8 Oct 15
Qatar
1-0
China PR
13 Oct 15
Qatar
4-0
Maldives
13 Oct 15
Bhutan
0-1
Hong Kong
12 Nov 15
China PR
12-0
Bhutan
12 Nov 15
Maldives
0-1
Hong Kong
17 Nov 15
Hong Kong
0-0
China PR
17 Nov 15
Bhutan
0-3
Qatar
24 Mar 16
Qatar
2-0
Hong Kong
24 Mar 16
China PR
4-0
Maldives
29 Mar 16
Maldives
4-2
Bhutan
29 Mar 16
China PR
2-0
Qatar
*Qatar and China PR qualified for the next stage.
Group D
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Iran 8
6
2
0
26
3
23
20
2
Oman
8
4
2
2
11
7
4
14
3
Turkmenistan
8
4
1
3
10
11
-1
13
4
Guam
8
2
1
5
4
15
-11
7
5
India
8
1
0
7
5
18
-13
3
11 Jun 15
India
1-1
Oman
11 Jun 15
Guam
1-0
Turkmenistan
16 Jun 15
Turkmenistan
1-1
16 Jun 15
Guam
2-1
India
3 Sep 15
6-0
Guam
3 Sep 15
Oman
3-1
Turkmenistan
8 Sep 15
Guam
0-0
Oman
8 Sep 15
India
0-3
8 Oct 15
Turkmenistan
2-1
India
8 Oct 15
Oman
1-1
13 Oct 15
Oman
3-0
India
13 Oct 15
Turkmenistan
1-0
Guam
12 Nov 15
3-1
Turkmenistan
12 Nov 15
India
1-0
Guam
17 Nov 15
Guam
0-6
17 Nov 15
Turkmenistan
2-1
Oman
24 Mar 16
Oman
1-0
Guam
24 Mar 16
4-0
India
29 Mar 16
India
1-2
Turkmenistan
29 Mar 16
2-0
Oman
* Iran qualified for the next stage.
Group E
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Japan
8
7
1
0
27
0
27
22
2
Syria
8
6
0
2
26
11
15
18
3
Singapore
8
3
1
4
9
9
0
10
4
Afghanistan
8
3
0
5
8
25
-17
9
5
Cambodia
8
0
0
8
1
26
-25
0
11 Jun 15
Afghanistan
0-6
Syria
11 Jun 15
Cambodia
0-4
Singapore
16 Jun 15
Singapore
0-0
16 Jun 15
Cambodia
0-1
Afghanistan
3 Sep 15
3-0
Cambodia
3 Sep 15
Syria
1-0
Singapore
8 Sep 15
Cambodia
0-6
Syria
8 Sep 15
Afghanistan
0-6
8 Oct 15
Singapore
1-0
Afghanistan
8 Oct 15
Syria
0-3
13 Oct 15
Syria
5-2
Afghanistan
13 Oct 15
Singapore
2-1
Cambodia
12 Nov 15
3-0
Singapore
12 Nov 15
Afghanistan
3-0
Cambodia
17 Nov 15
Cambodia
0-2
17 Nov 15
Singapore
1-2
Syria
24 Mar 16
Syria
6-0
Cambodia
24 Mar 16
5-0
Afghanistan
29 Mar 16
Afghanistan
2-1
Singapore
29 Mar 16
5-0
Syria
*Japan Syria qualified for the next stage.
Group F
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Thailand
6
4
2
0
14
4
10
14
Iraq 6
3
3
0
13
6
7
12
3
Vietnam
6
2
1
3
7
8
-1
7
4
Chinese-Taipei
6
0
0
6
5
19
-14
0
5
Indonesia
Disqualified due to FIFA suspension
24 May 15
Thailand
1-0
Vietnam
16 Jun 15
Chinese-Taipei
0-2
Thailand
3 Sep 15
Iraq
5-1
Chinese-Taipei
8 Sep 15
Chinese-Taipei
1-2
Vietnam
8 Sep 15
Thailand
2-2
Iraq
8 Oct 15
Vietnam
1-1
Iraq
13 Oct 15
Vietnam
0-3
Thailand
12 Nov 15
Thailand
4-2
Chinese-Taipei
17 Nov 15
Chinese-Taipei
0-2
Iraq
24 Mar 16
Vietnam
4-1
Chinese-Taipei
24 Mar 16
Iraq
2-2
Thailand
29 Mar 16
Iraq
1-0
Vietnam
*Thailand and Iraq qualified for the next stage.
Group G
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
South Korea 8
8
0
0
27
0
27
24
2
Lebanon
8
3
2
3
12
6
6
11
3
Kuwait
8
3
1
4
12
10
2
10
4
Myanmar
8
2
2
4
9
21
-12
8
5
Laos
8
1
1
6
6
29
-23
4
11 Jun 15
Lebanon
0-1
Kuwait
11 Jun 15
Laos
2-2
Myanmar
16 Jun 15
Myanmar
0-2
16 Jun 15
Laos
0-2
Lebanon
3 Sep 15
8-0
Laos
3 Sep 15
Kuwait
9-0
Myanmar
8 Sep 15
Laos
0-2
Kuwait
8 Sep 15
Lebanon
0-3
8 Oct 15
Myanmar
0-2
Lebanon
8 Oct 15
Kuwait
0-1
13 Oct 15
Kuwait
0-0
Lebanon
13 Oct 15
Myanmar
3-1
Laos
12 Nov 15
4-0
Myanmar
12 Nov 15
Lebanon
7-0
Laos
17 Nov 15
Laos
0-5
17 Nov 15
Myanmar
3-0*
Kuwait
Kuwait
0-3*
Laos
24 Mar 16
1-0
Lebanon
29 Mar 16
Lebanon
1-1
Myanmar
3-0*
Kuwait
* South Korea
* On 13 January 2016, FIFA decided that the match scheduled for 17 November 2015 should be forfeited by Kuwait (and awarded as a 3–0 win for Myanmar) as it did not take place due to a suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.
* On 6 April 2016, FIFA decided that the match scheduled for 24 March 2016 should be forfeited by Kuwait (and awarded as a 3–0 win for Laos) as it did not take place due to a suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.
* On 6 April 2016, FIFA decided that the match scheduled for 29 March 2016 should be forfeited by Kuwait (and awarded as a 3–0 win for South Korea) as it did not take place due to a suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.
Group H
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Uzbekistan
8
7
0
1
20
7
13
21
2
North Korea
8
5
1
2
14
8
6
16
3
Philippines
8
3
1
4
8
12
-4
10
4
Bahrain
8
3
0
5
10
10
0
9
5
Yemen
8
1
0
7
2
17
-15
3
11 Jun 15
Philippines
2-1
Bahrain
11 Jun 15
Yemen
0-3*
North Korea
16 Jun 15
North Korea
4-2
Uzbekistan
16 Jun 15
Yemen
0-2
Philippines
3 Sep 15
Uzbekistan
1-0
Yemen
3 Sep 15
Bahrain
0-1
North Korea
8 Sep 15
Yemen
0-4
Bahrain
8 Sep 15
Philippines
1-5
Uzbekistan
8 Oct 15
North Korea
0-0
Philippines
8 Oct 15
Bahrain
0-4
Uzbekistan
13 Oct 15
Bahrain
2-0
Philippines
13 Oct 15
North Korea
1-0
Yemen
12 Nov 15
Uzbekistan
3-1
North Korea
12 Nov 15
Philippines
0-1
Yemen
17 Nov 15
Yemen
1-3
Uzbekistan
17 Nov 15
North Korea
2-0
Bahrain
24 Mar 16
Bahrain
3-0
Yemen
24 Mar 16
Uzbekistan
1-0
Philippines
29 Mar 16
Philippines
3-2
North Korea
29 Mar 16
Uzbekistan
1-0
Bahrain
* Uzbekistan qualified for the next stage.
* FIFA awarded North Korea a 3–0 win as a result of Yemen fielding the ineligible player Mudir Al-Radaei, after North Korea had defeated Yemen by 1–0.
Ranking of runners-up team
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Iraq 6
3
3
0
13
6
6
12
2
Syria
6
4
0
2
14
11
3
12
3
UAE
6
3
2
1
16
4
12
11
4
China PR
6
3
2
1
9
1
8
11
5
North Korea
6
3
1
2
10
8
2
10
6
Jordan6
3
1
2
9
7
2
10
7
Oman
6
2
2
2
6
6
0
8
8
Lebanon
6
1
1
3
3
6
-3
4
The first four teams advanced to the next stage.
As a result of Indonesia being disqualified due to FIFA suspension, Group F contains only four teams compared to five teams in all other groups. Therefore, the results against the fifth-placed team are not counted when determining the ranking of the fourth-placed teams.
THIRD ROUND: Round-robin Format
•
The winners of each group and the four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round. The 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six to play home-and-away round-robin matches. Dependent on the number of qualifiers from the AFC, the top two teams of each group will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the two third placed teams will advance to the fourth round.
The draw for the third round will be held on 12 April 2016, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The following are the teams qualified for the third round:
Pot 1
Pos
Rank
Flag
Team
1
44
Iran
2
56
Japan
3
57
South Korea
4
60
Saudi Arabia
5
64
United Arab Emirates
6
67
Australia
7
74
Uzbekistan
8
80
Qatar
9
91
Iraq
10
96
China PR
11
118
Thailand
12
123
Syria
The draw for the third round was held on 12 April 2016 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Group A
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Iran10
6
4
0
10
2
8
22
2
South Korea10
4
3
3
11
10
1
15
3
Syria
10
3
4
3
9
8
1
13
4
Uzbekistan
10
4
1
5
6
7
-1
13
5
China PR
10
3
3
4
8
10
-2
12
6
Qatar
10
2
1
7
8
15
-7
7
Iran and South Korea
Syria will play against Australia to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation playoff.
1 Sep 16
2-0
Qatar
1 Sep 16
3-2
China PR
1 Sep 16
Uzbekistan
1-0
Syria
6 Sep 16
Qatar
0-1
Uzbekistan
6 Sep 16
Syria
0-0
South Korea
6 Sep 16
China PR
0-0
Iran
6 Oct 16
Uzbekistan
0-1
Iran
6 Oct 16
China PR
0-1
Syria
6 Oct 16
3-2
Qatar
11 Oct 16
Qatar
1-0
Syria
11 Oct 16
Uzbekistan
2-0
China PR
11 Oct 16
1-0
South Korea
15 Nov 16
China PR
0-0
Qatar
15 Nov 16
Syria
0-0
Iran
15 Nov 16
2-1
Uzbekistan
23 Mar 17
Qatar
0-1
Iran
23 Mar 17
China PR
1-0
South Korea
23 Mar 17
Syria
1-0
Uzbekistan
28 Mar 17
Uzbekistan
1-0
Qatar
28 Mar 17
1-0
Syria
28 Mar 17
1-0
China PR
12 Jun 17
2-0
Uzbekistan
13 Jun 17
Syria
2-2
China PR
13 Jun 17
Qatar
3-2
South Korea
31 Aug 17
Syria
3-1
Qatar
31 Aug 17
China PR
1-0
Uzbekistan
31 Aug 17
0-0
Iran
5 Sep 17
Qatar
1-2
China PR
5 Sep 17
2-2
Syria
5 Sep 17
Uzbekistan
0-0
South Korea
Group B
Pos
Flag
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Japan10
6
2
2
17
7
10
20
2
Saudi Arabia10
6
1
3
16
9
7
19
3
Australia 10
5
4
1
16
11
5
19
4
United Arab Emirates
10
4
1
5
10
13
-3
13
5
Iraq 10
3
2
5
11
12
-1
11
6
Thailand
10
0
2
8
6
24
-18
2
Japan and Saudi Arabia qualified for the 2018 FIFA world cup.
Australia will play against Syria to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation playoff.
1 Sep 16
2-0
Iraq
1 Sep 16
1-2
United Arab Emirates
1 Sep 16
Saudi Arabia
1-0
Thailand
6 Sep 16
Iraq
1-2
Saudi Arabia
6 Sep 16
Thailand
0-2
Japan
6 Sep 16
United Arab Emirates
0-1
Australia
6 Oct 16
Saudi Arabia
2-2
Australia
6 Oct 16
United Arab Emirates
3-1
Thailand
6 Oct 16
2-1
Iraq
11 Oct 16
Iraq
4-0
Thailand
11 Oct 16
Saudi Arabia
3-0
United Arab Emirates
11 Oct 16
1-1
Japan
15 Nov 16
United Arab Emirates
2-0
Iraq
15 Nov 16
Thailand
2-2
Australia
15 Nov 16
2-1
Saudi Arabia
23 Mar 17
Iraq
1-1
Australia
23 Mar 17
United Arab Emirates
0-2
Japan
23 Mar 17
Thailand
0-3
Saudi Arabia
28 Mar 17
Saudi Arabia
1-0
Iraq
28 Mar 17
4-0
Thailand
28 Mar 17
2-0
United Arab Emirates
8 Jun 17
3-2
Saudi Arabia
13 Jun 17
Thailand
1-1
United Arab Emirates
13 Jun 17
Iraq
1-1
Japan
31 Aug 17
Thailand
1-2
Iraq
29 Aug 17
United Arab Emirates
2-1
Saudi Arabia
31 Aug 17
2-0
Australia
5 Sep 17
Iraq
1-0
United Arab Emirates
5 Sep 17
2-1
Thailand
5 Sep 17
Saudi Arabia
1-0
Japan
FOURTH ROUND: Playoff Format
•
The two third-placed teams in each group from the third round will play against each other home-and-away over two legs to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
5 Oct 17
Syria
1-1
Australia
10 Oct 17
a.e.t.
Syria
2-1
Inter-confederation play-offs
•
The fifth-placed team of AFC was drawn against the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF.
Australia won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
GOALSCORERS
TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Round
Matches played
Goals scored
Average
12
Second round
152
507
3.38
Third round
60
129
2.15
Fourth round
Total
224
660
2.95
Notes and References
Indonesia was disqualified due to FIFA suspension
Last updated: 15 November 2017
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