Posted March 18, 20232 yr Asian Qualification The Asian Qualification will consist of 5 stages. 8 teams will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 1 team will qualify for the Intercontinental Play-Offs. Round 1 - The 18 lowest ranked teams will be drawn into 9 2-legged ties with the winners qualifying for Round 2. Matches will be played on 12th October 2023 and 17th October 2023. Round 2 - The 36 teams (27 highest ranked teams and 9 winners from Round 1) will be drawn into 9 groups of 4 teams and will play home-and-away round robin fixtures. The 9 group winners and 9 group runners-up will qualify for Round 3. Matches will be played between 16th November 2023 - 11th June 2024. Round 3 - The 18 qualifiers from Round 2 will be drawn into 3 groups of 6 teams and will play home-and-away round robin fixtures. The 3 group winners and 3 group runners-up will qualify directly to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 3 group third-place and 3 group fourth-placed teams will qualify for Round 4. Matches will be played between 5th September 2024 - 24th June 2025. Round 4 - The 6 qualifiers from Round 3 will be drawn into 2 groups of 3 teams and will play single round-robin fixtures. The two group winners will qualify directly to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The two group runners-up will qualify for Round 5. Matches will be played in September 2025. Round 5 - The 2 qualifiers from Round 4 will complete in a play-off tie with the winner qualifying for the Intercontinental Play-Offs. The format of the play-off tie is unknown as of yet but will take place in October 2025.
July 13, 20231 yr Interesting format - two additional rounds to effectively decide the lower end of the qualifiers!
July 27, 20231 yr Author The draw for the first 2 rounds of Asia World Cup qualifying we're today. Both rounds also function as qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asia Cup. Round 1 - The winners of each tie after two legs will qualify for Round 2. Matches will be played on 12th October 2023 and 17th October 2023. Afghanistan v Mongolia Maldives v Bangladesh Singapore v Guam Yemen v Sri Lanka Myanmar v Macau Cambodia v Pakistan Chinese Taipei v Timor-Leste Indonesia v Brunai Hong Kong v Bhutan Nepal v Laos
July 27, 20231 yr Author Round 2 - The top 2 teams from each group will qualify for Round 3 (and qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup). Matches will be played between 16th November 2023 - 11th June 2024. Group A Qatar India Kuwait Afghanistan/Mongolia Group B Japan Syria North Korea Myanmar/Macau Group C South Korea China Thailand Singapore/Guam Group D Oman Kyrgyzstan Malaysia Chinese Taipei/Timor-Leste Group E Iran Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Hong Kong/Bhutan Group F Iraq Vietnam Philippines Indonesia/Brunei Group G Saudi Arabia Jordan Tajikistan Cambodia/Pakistan Group H United Arab Emirates Bahrain Yemen/Sri Lanka Nepal/Laos Group I Australia Palestine Lebanon Maldives/Bangladesh
July 27, 20231 yr Indonesia being in the first round is hilarious, they're better right now than almost half of the nations already in the second round (more than half if we take the top two from each group out) - a geographical rivalry with Brunei awaits. Man, those matches are going to be like 12-0. Also, they could've auto-advanced some of the top countries sitting in the second round because those groups are kind of pointless exercises of the top 1/2 nations plastering the bottom ones. I'd be surprised if there are any shocking third-round qualifiers. But alas, it would end turning into the CONCACAF last qualifying when people were critical about the top teams being in the last qualifying round automatically. However, get ready to see some astronomical scorelines, folks.
October 12, 20231 yr After one leg: Afghanistan 1-0 Mongolia Maldives 1-1 Bangladesh Singapore 2-1 Guam Yemen 3-0 Sri Lanka Myanmar 5-1 Macau Cambodia 0-0 Pakistan Chinese Taipei 4-0 Timor-Leste Indonesia 6-0 Brunai Hong Kong 4-0 Bhutan Nepal 1-1 Laos Mongolia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Laos, and surprisingly Guam have the best chances to win the tie going to their home field. (Guam getting that precious away goal in the 90th minute) Edited October 12, 20231 yr by DJHazey
October 12, 20231 yr Your 12-0 prediction for Indonesia not quite coming true then! (although could well be the aggregate score after the next match)
October 13, 20231 yr Your 12-0 prediction for Indonesia not quite coming true then! (although could well be the aggregate score after the next match) It wasn't as much of a prediction as much as it was hyperbole B-) , still wouldn't be surprised if it ends up 16-0 by the end. Alot of times to the inferior opponent tends to get massacred even more at home in these for some reason. Indonesia is the class of this stage though, I expect them to give a couple scares in Round Two. Rooting for our fellow American in Guam to pull off another upset. Edited October 13, 20231 yr by DJHazey
October 17, 20231 yr Afghanistan 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 Mongolia Maldives 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 Bangladesh Singapore 2-1 | 1-0 | 3-1 Guam Yemen 3-0 | 1-1 | 4-1 Sri Lanka Myanmar 5-1 | 0-0 | 5-1 Macau Cambodia 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 Pakistan Chinese Taipei 4-0 | 3-0 | 7-0 Timor-Leste Indonesia 6-0 | 6-0 | 12-0 Brunei Hong Kong 4-0 | 0-2 | 4-2 Bhutan Nepal 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 Laos Round 2's groups are now set: with NOV 2023 FIFA Ranking Group A Qatar - 61 Kuwait - 136 India - 102 Afghanistan - 154 Group B Japan - 18 Syria - 92 North Korea - 115 Myanmar - 158 Group C South Korea - 24 China - 79 Thailand - 112 Singapore - 155 Group D Oman - 72 Kyrgyzstan - 97 Malaysia - 137 Taiwan - 152 Group E Iran - 21 Uzbekistan - 73 Turkmenistan - 141 Hong Kong - 150 Group F Iraq - 68 Vietnam - 94 Philippines - 138 Indonesia - 145 Group G Saudia Arabia - 57 Jordan - 82 Tajikistan - 109 Pakistan - 193 Group H United Arab Emirates - 69 Bahrain - 83 Yemen - 156 Nepal - 173 Group I Australia - 27 Palestine - 96 Lebanon - 104 Bangladesh - 183 The top two teams from each group will advance to Round 3 and directly to the 2027 Asian Cup. I think the most contested groups for the #2 spot will be Group C and Group F. All four nations in each group are capable of pulling off upsets. I'm also not sure how strong Oman is as a top-ranked nation for one of these groups (Uzbekistan would've been better suited, being the best of 2nd slot teams) but I'm also not sure how much fight Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, and Taiwan will put up. They got a good draw. Edited November 2, 20231 yr by DJHazey
November 1, 20231 yr November Calendar - Opening Matches A - Nov 16 - Qatar vs. Afghanistan A - Nov 16 - Kuwait vs. India A - Nov 21 - Afghanistan vs. Kuwait [played in Saudi Arabia] A - Nov 21 - India vs. Qatar B - Nov 16 - Japan vs. Myanmar B - Nov 16 - Syria vs. North Korea [played in Saudi Arabia] B - Nov 21 - Myanmar vs. North Korea B - Nov 21 - Syria vs. Japan [played in Saudi Arabia] C - Nov 16 - South Korea vs. Singapore C - Nov 16 - Thailand vs. China C - Nov 21 - Singapore vs. Thailand C - Nov 21 - China vs. South Korea D - Nov 16 - Oman vs. Taiwan D - Nov 16 - Malaysia vs. Kyrgyzstan D - Nov 21 - Taiwan vs. Malaysia D - Nov 21 - Kyrgyzstan vs. Oman E - Nov 16 - Iran vs. Hong Kong E - Nov 16 - Turkmenistan vs. Uzbekistan E - Nov 21 - Hong Kong vs. Turkmenistan E - Nov 21 - Uzbekistan vs. Iran F - Nov 16 - Iraq vs. Indonesia F - Nov 16 - Philippines vs. Vietnam F - Nov 21 - Philippines vs. Indonesia F - Nov 21 - Vietnam vs. Iraq G - Nov 16 - Saudi Arabia vs. Pakistan G - Nov 16 - Tajikistan vs. Jordan G - Nov 21 - Pakistan vs. Tajikistan G - Nov 21 - Jordan vs. Saudi Arabia H - Nov 16 - United Arab Emirates vs. Nepal H - Nov 16 - Yemen vs. Bahrain [played in Saudi Arabia] H - Nov 21 - Nepal vs. Yemen H - Nov 21 - Bahrain vs. United Ara Emirates I - Nov 16 - Australia vs. Bangladesh I - Nov 16 - Lebanon vs. Palestine [played in UAE] I - Nov 21 - Bangladesh vs. Lebanon I - Nov 21 - Palestine vs. Australia [played in Kuwait] Edited November 2, 20231 yr by DJHazey
November 16, 20231 yr In a wild match today Malaysia pulls off the minor-upset by coming back at home from 1-3 down against Kyrgyzstan, with an own goal in the 72nd minute, an equalizer 5 minutes later, and the winner 3 minutes into stoppage time. 4-3 final and I'm sure Kuala Lumpur is rocking tonight. Uzbekistan is currently struggling in their opening match, 1-1 in the second half at Turkmenistan. Unless they find a winner, this will be a disappointing start to a campaign where they must feel they finally have a real chance to advance to their first World Cup after so many near-misses in the past. Edited November 16, 20231 yr by DJHazey
November 16, 20231 yr Jordan avoided a real auspicious start to their qualifying when they were able to find a late winner in stoppage time to grab a point in Tajikitstan.
November 18, 20231 yr Author Matchday 1 Group A Qatar 8-1 Afghanistan Kuwait 0-1 India Group B Japan 5-0 Myanmar Syria 1-0 North Korea Group C South Korea 5-0 Singapore Thailand 1-2 China Group D Oman 3-0 Chinese Taipei Malaysia 4-3 Kyrgyzstan Group E Iran 4-0 Hong Kong Turkmenistan 1-3 Uzbekistan Group F Iraq 5-1 Indonesia Philippines 0-2 Vietnam Group G Saudi Arabia 4-0 Pakistan Tajikistan 1-1 Jordan Group H United Arab Emirates 4-0 Nepal Yemen 0-2 Bahrain Group I Australia 7-0 Bangladesh Lebanon 0-0 Palestine
November 18, 20231 yr Author Matchday 1 - Tables Group A 1. Qatar 1/6 (+7) 3 2. India 1/6 (+1) 3 3. Kuwait 1/6 (-1) 0 4. Afghanistan 1/6 (-7) 0 Group B 1. Japan 1/6 (+5) 3 2. Syria 1/6 (+1) 3 3. North Korea 1/6 (-1) 0 4. Myanmar 1/6 (-5) 0 Group C 1. South Korea 1/6 (+5) 3 2. China 1/6 (+1) 3 3. Thailand 1/6 (-1) 0 4. Singapore 1/6 (-5) 0 Group D 1. Oman 1/6 (+3) 3 2. Malaysia 1/6 (+1) 3 3. Kyrgyzstan 1/6 (-1) 0 4. Chinese Taipei 1/6 (-3) 0 Group E 1. Iran 1/6 (+4) 3 2. Uzbekistan 1/6 (+2) 3 3. Turkmenistan 1/6 (-2) 0 4. Hong Kong 1/6 (-4) 0 Group F 1. Iraq 1/6 (+4) 3 2. Vietnam 1/6 (+2) 3 3. Philippines 1/6 (-2) 0 4. Indonesia 1/6 (-4) 0 Group G 1. Saudi Arabia 1/6 (+4) 3 2. Jordan 1/6 (0) 1 3. Tajikistan 1/6 (0) 1 4. Pakistan 1/6 (-4) 0 Group H 1. United Arab Emirates 1/6 (+4) 3 2. Bahrain 1/6 (+2) 3 3. Yemen 1/6 (-2) 0 4. Nepal 1/6 (-4) 0 Group I 1. Australia 1/6 (+7) 3 2. Palestine 1/6 (0) 1 3. Lebanon 1/6 (0) 1 4. Bangladesh 1/6 (-7) 0 Qualifying for the next round: Australia Bahrain China India Iran Iraq Japan Jordan Malaysia Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea Syria United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam
November 18, 20231 yr Just been reading about how 18 of the Afghanistan players decided to boycott the Qatar game after not being treated the best by the Afghan football federation - I wonder if that is one of the reasons for the scoreline being so high.
November 21, 20231 yr As expected Oman looking like the weakest of the group front-runners, losing 1-0 to Kyrgyzstan today. Uzbekistan coming back from 2-0 at halftime to get the draw versus Iran. They needed a result like this to assure they'll eventually move on to the next round with Iran. Bangladesh with a surprise draw versus Lebanon.
November 22, 20231 yr Author Matchday 2 Group A India 0-3 Qatar Afghanistan 0-4 Kuwait Group B Myanmar 1-6 North Korea Syria 0-5 Japan Group C China 0-3 South Korea Singapore 1-3 Thailand Group D Taiwan 0-1 Malaysia Kyrgyzstan 1-0 Oman Group E Hong Kong 2-2 Turkmenistan Uzbekistan 2-2 Iran Group F Philippines 1-1 Indonesia Vietnam 0-1 Iraq Group G Pakistan 1-6 Tajikistan Jordan 0-2 Saudi Arabia Group H Nepal 0-2 Yemen Bahrain 0-2 United Arab Emirates Group I Bangladesh 1-1 Lebanon Palestine 0-1 Australia
November 22, 20231 yr Author Matchday 2 - Tables Group A 1. Qatar 2/6 (+10) 6 2. Kuwait 2/6 (+3) 3 3. India 2/6 (-2) 3 4. Afghanistan 2/6 (-11) 0 Group B 1. Japan 2/6 (+10) 6 2. North Korea 2/6 (+4) 3 3. Syria 2/6 (-4) 3 4. Myanmar 2/6 (-10) 0 Group C 1. South Korea 2/6 (+8) 6 2. Thailand 2/6 (+1) 3 3. China 2/6 (-2) 3 4. Singapore 2/6 (-7) 0 Group D 1. Malaysia 2/6 (+2) 6 2. Oman 2/6 (+2) 3 3. Kyrgyzstan 2/6 (0) 3 4. Chinese Taipei 2/6 (-4) 0 Group E 1. Iran 2/6 (+4) 4 2. Uzbekistan 2/6 (+2) 4 3. Turkmenistan 2/6 (-2) 1 4. Hong Kong 2/6 (-4) 1 Group F 1. Iraq 2/6 (+5) 6 2. Vietnam 2/6 (+1) 3 3. Philippines 2/6 (-2) 1 4. Indonesia 2/6 (-4) 1 Group G 1. Saudi Arabia 2/6 (+6) 6 2. Tajikistan 2/6 (+5) 4 3. Jordan 2/6 (-2) 1 4. Pakistan 2/6 (-9) 0 Group H 1. United Arab Emirates 2/6 (+6) 6 2. Bahrain 2/6 (0) 3 3. Yemen 2/6 (0) 3 4. Nepal 2/6 (-6) 0 Group I 1. Australia 2/6 (+8) 6 2. Lebanon 2/6 (0) 2 3. Palestine 2/6 (-1) 1 4. Bangladesh 2/6 (-7) 1 Qualifying for the next round: Australia Bahrain Iran Iraq Japan Kuwait Lebanon Malaysia North Korea Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea Tajikistan Thailand United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam
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