2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)Tournament details

Dates| 12 March 2015 – 10 October 2017
Teams| 45[note 1] (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 223
Goals scored| 665 (2.98 per match)
Attendance| 4,377,585 (19,630 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Mohammad Al-Sahlawi[A]
Ahmed Khalil
(16 goals each)

<- 2014

2022 ->

International football competition

AFC Asian Qualifiers

FIFA World Cup

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AFC Asian Cup

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* v
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The Asian section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia, for national teams which were members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). 4.5 slots (four direct slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament were available for AFC teams.[1]

On 16 April 2014, the AFC Executive Committee approved a proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, which expanded to 24 teams starting in 2019.[2] Therefore, the first two rounds of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers also acted as qualifiers for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

## Format

[edit]

The qualification structure was as follows:[2][3]

* First round: 12 teams (ranked 35–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round.
* Second round: 40 teams (ranked 1–34 and six first round winners) were divided into eight groups of five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The eight group winners and the four best group runners-up advanced to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification.
* Third round: 12 teams (an increase from ten for 2014) which had advanced from the second round were divided into two groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the two third-placed teams advanced to the fourth round.
* Fourth round: Two third-placed teams of each group from the third round played home-and-away over two legs. The winners advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

## Entrants

[edit]

The 46 FIFA-affiliated nations from the AFC entered qualification.[4] In order to determine which nations would compete in the first round and which nations would receive a bye through to the second round, the FIFA World Rankings of January 2015 were used (shown in parentheses), as those were the latest published rankings prior to the first round draw. The FIFA Rankings of January 2015 were also used for seeding of the first round draw; however, for seeding in the second round and third round draws, the most recent FIFA Rankings prior to those draws were used.

First ever participation of Bhutan. Recorded for the qualifications of 2010, this selection withdrew without playing a game (initial draw preview first round against Kuwait)

From the January 2015 FIFA World Rankings[5] Bye to the second round
(Ranked 1st to 34th)  | Competing in first round
(Ranked 35th to 46th)

|

1. Iran (51)
2. Japan (54)
3. South Korea (69)
4. Uzbekistan (71)
5. United Arab Emirates (80)
6. Qatar (92)
7. Oman (93)
8. Jordan (93)
9. China (96)
10. Australia (100)
11. Saudi Arabia (102)
12. Bahrain (110)
13. Iraq (114)
14. Palestine (115)
15. Lebanon (122)
16. Kuwait (125)
17. Philippines (129)
18. Maldives (131)
19. Vietnam (133)
20. Tajikistan (136)
21. Myanmar (141)
22. Afghanistan (142)
23. Thailand (144)
24. Turkmenistan (147)
25. North Korea (150)
26. Syria (151)
27. Kyrgyzstan (152)
28. Malaysia (154)
29. Hong Kong (156)
30. Singapore (157)
31. Indonesia (159)
32. Laos (160)
33. Guam (161)
34. Bangladesh (165)

35. India (171)
36. Sri Lanka (172)
37. Yemen (176)
38. Cambodia (179)
39. Chinese Taipei (182)
40. East Timor (185)
41. Nepal (186)
42. Macau (186)
43. Pakistan (188)
44. Mongolia (194)
45. Brunei (198)
46. Bhutan (209)

## Schedule

[edit]

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[6][7][8]

| Round  | Matchday  | Date

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First round | First leg  | 12 March 2015
Second leg  | 17 March 2015
Second round | Matchday 1  | 11 June 2015
Matchday 2  | 16 June 2015
Matchday 3  | 3 September 2015
Matchday 4  | 8 September 2015
Matchday 5  | 8 October 2015
Matchday 6  | 13 October 2015
Matchday 7  | 12 November 2015
Matchday 8  | 17 November 2015
Matchday 9  | 24 March 2016
Matchday 10  | 29 March 2016
| Round  | Matchday  | Date

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Third round | Matchday 1  | 1 September 2016
Matchday 2  | 6 September 2016
Matchday 3  | 6 October 2016
Matchday 4  | 11 October 2016
Matchday 5  | 15 November 2016
Matchday 6  | 23 March 2017
Matchday 7  | 28 March 2017
Matchday 8  | 13 June 2017
Matchday 9  | 31 August 2017
Matchday 10  | 5 September 2017
Fourth round | First leg  | 5 October 2017
Second leg  | 10 October 2017

## First round

[edit]

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round

The draw for the first round was held on 10 February 2015, 15:30 MST (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[9]

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

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India | 2–0  |  Nepal | 2–0 | 0–0
Yemen | 3–1  |  Pakistan | 3–1 | 0–0
East Timor | 0–6[N 1] |  Mongolia | 0–3[N 1] | 0–3[N 1]
Cambodia | 4–1  |  Macau | 3–0 | 1–1
Chinese Taipei | 2–1  |  Brunei | 0–1 | 2–0
Sri Lanka | 1–3  |  Bhutan | 0–1 | 1–2

Notes

1. ^ a b c Timor-Leste won the first leg 4–1 and the second leg 1–0, thus winning 5–1 on aggregate and advancing to the Second round. On 12 December 2017 FIFA awarded both matches 3–0 to Mongolia due to Timor-Leste fielding numerous ineligible players. However, this was long after the Second round had been played, so Timor-Leste advanced and Mongolia were not reinstated.

## Second round

[edit]

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round

The draw for the second round was held on 14 April 2015, at 17:00 MST (UTC+8), at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[10][11]

### Summary

[edit]

Qualified for the third round and Asian Cup (except United Arab Emirates) as winners or top four runners-up

Advanced to the Third Asian Cup qualifying round as bottom four runners-up, third place, or top four fourth placed team

Advanced to the AFC Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.

Denotes a team that was disqualified as a result of a FIFA suspension.

Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H

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Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates[a] |
Australia |
Qatar

China |
Iran |
Japan

Syria |
Thailand

Iraq |
South Korea |
Uzbekistan

Palestine |
Jordan

Kyrgyzstan |
Hong Kong |
Oman

Turkmenistan

Guam |
Singapore

Afghanistan |
Vietnam |
Lebanon

Kuwait

Myanmar |
North Korea

Philippines

Bahrain

Malaysia

East Timor |
Tajikistan

Bangladesh |
Maldives

Bhutan |
India |
Cambodia |
Chinese Taipei |
Laos |
Yemen
|  |  |  |  |
Indonesia |  |

1. ^ United Arab Emirates had already qualified as hosts of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, so they were only competing for World Cup qualification.

### Groups

[edit]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers

In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[12]

1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
2. Overall goal difference
3. Overall goals scored
4. Points in matches between tied teams
5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
8. Fair play points
* first yellow card: minus 1 point
* indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
* direct red card: minus 4 points
* yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

#### Group A

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Saudi Arabia | 8  | 6  | 2  | 0  | 28  | 4  | +24  | 20  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 7–0
2  |  United Arab Emirates[a] | 8  | 5  | 2  | 1  | 25  | 4  | +21  | 17  | World Cup qualifying third round |  | 1–1 | -- | 2–0 | 10–0 | 8–0
3  |  Palestine | 8  | 3  | 3  | 2  | 22  | 6  | +16  | 12  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 0–0 | 0–0 | -- | 6–0 | 7–0
4  |  Malaysia | 8  | 1  | 1  | 6  | 4  | 29  | −25  | 4  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–6 | -- | 1–1
5  |  East Timor | 8  | 0  | 2  | 6  | 2  | 36  | −34  | 2  |  | 0–10 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | --

Source: [13]
Notes:

1. ^ United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.

#### Group B

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Australia | 8  | 7  | 0  | 1  | 29  | 4  | +25  | 21  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 5–1 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 5–0
2  |  Jordan | 8  | 5  | 1  | 2  | 21  | 7  | +14  | 16  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 2–0 | -- | 0–0 | 3–0 | 8–0
3  |  Kyrgyzstan | 8  | 4  | 2  | 2  | 10  | 8  | +2  | 14  |  | 1–2 | 1–0 | -- | 2–2 | 2–0
4  |  Tajikistan | 8  | 1  | 2  | 5  | 9  | 20  | −11  | 5  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–1 | -- | 5–0
5  |  Bangladesh | 8  | 0  | 1  | 7  | 2  | 32  | −30  | 1  |  | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | --

Source: [13]

#### Group C

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
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* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Qatar | 8  | 7  | 0  | 1  | 29  | 4  | +25  | 21  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 15–0
2  |  China | 8  | 5  | 2  | 1  | 27  | 1  | +26  | 17  |  | 2–0 | -- | 0–0 | 4–0 | 12–0
3  |  Hong Kong | 8  | 4  | 2  | 2  | 13  | 5  | +8  | 14  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 2–3 | 0–0 | -- | 2–0 | 7–0
4  |  Maldives | 8  | 2  | 0  | 6  | 8  | 20  | −12  | 6  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | -- | 4–2
5  |  Bhutan | 8  | 0  | 0  | 8  | 5  | 52  | −47  | 0  |  | 0–3 | 0–6 | 0–1 | 3–4 | --

Source: [13]

#### Group D

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Iran | 8  | 6  | 2  | 0  | 26  | 3  | +23  | 20  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 2–0 | 3–1 | 6–0 | 4–0
2  |  Oman | 8  | 4  | 2  | 2  | 11  | 7  | +4  | 14  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 1–1 | -- | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0
3  |  Turkmenistan | 8  | 4  | 1  | 3  | 10  | 11  | −1  | 13  |  | 1–1 | 2–1 | -- | 1–0 | 2–1
4  |  Guam | 8  | 2  | 1  | 5  | 3  | 16  | −13  | 7  |  | 0–6 | 0–0 | 1–0 | -- | 2–1
5  |  India | 8  | 1  | 0  | 7  | 5  | 18  | −13  | 3  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 0–3[a] | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | --

Source: [13]
Notes:

1. ^ FIFA awarded Iran a 3–0 win as a result of India fielding the ineligible player Eugeneson Lyngdoh.[14] The match initially ended 3–0 to Iran.

#### Group E

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Japan | 8  | 7  | 1  | 0  | 27  | 0  | +27  | 22  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 5–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 3–0
2  |  Syria | 8  | 6  | 0  | 2  | 26  | 11  | +15  | 18  |  | 0–3 | -- | 1–0 | 5–2 | 6–0
3  |  Singapore | 8  | 3  | 1  | 4  | 9  | 9  | 0  | 10  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 0–3 | 1–2 | -- | 1–0 | 2–1
4  |  Afghanistan | 8  | 3  | 0  | 5  | 8  | 24  | −16  | 9  |  | 0–6 | 0–6 | 2–1 | -- | 3–0
5  |  Cambodia | 8  | 0  | 0  | 8  | 1  | 27  | −26  | 0  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 0–2 | 0–6 | 0–4 | 0–1 | --

Source: [13]

#### Group F

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Thailand | 6  | 4  | 2  | 0  | 14  | 6  | +8  | 14  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | Canc.
2  |  Iraq | 6  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 13  | 6  | +7  | 12  |  | 2–2 | -- | 1–0 | 5–1 | Canc.
3  |  Vietnam | 6  | 2  | 1  | 3  | 7  | 8  | −1  | 7  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 0–3 | 1–1 | -- | 4–1 | Canc.
4  |  Chinese Taipei | 6  | 0  | 0  | 6  | 5  | 19  | −14  | 0  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | -- | Canc.
5  |  Indonesia[a] | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | Disqualified  |  | Canc. | Canc. | Canc. | Canc. | --

Source: [13]
Notes:

1. ^ Indonesia was also drawn into this group, but on 30 May 2015 the country's football association was suspended due to governmental interference,[15] and on 3 June 2015 the team was disqualified and all matches involving it were cancelled.[16]

#### Group G

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  South Korea | 8  | 8  | 0  | 0  | 27  | 0  | +27  | 24  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 1–0 | 3–0[a] | 4–0 | 8–0
2  |  Lebanon | 8  | 3  | 2  | 3  | 12  | 6  | +6  | 11  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 0–3 | -- | 0–1 | 1–1 | 7–0
3  |  Kuwait[a] | 8  | 3  | 1  | 4  | 12  | 10  | +2  | 10  | Disqualified  |  | 0–1 | 0–0 | -- | 9–0 | 0–3[a]
4  |  Myanmar | 8  | 2  | 2  | 4  | 9  | 21  | −12  | 8  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–0[a] | -- | 3–1
5  |  Laos | 8  | 1  | 1  | 6  | 6  | 29  | −23  | 4  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 0–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | --

Source: [13]
Notes:

1. ^ a b c d During this stage the Kuwait Football Association was suspended after the country had failed to comply with a decision from FIFA that its sports law had to be changed. The three remaining matches involving Kuwait – away v Myanmar, home v Laos, and away v South Korea – were not played as scheduled, and were eventually awarded as 3–0 wins for Kuwait's opponents.[17][18][19] Kuwait was also unable to compete in the Third round of the Asian Cup qualifying, to which it would have advanced based on its ranking.

#### Group H

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Uzbekistan | 8  | 7  | 0  | 1  | 20  | 7  | +13  | 21  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup |  | -- | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0
2  |  North Korea | 8  | 5  | 1  | 2  | 14  | 8  | +6  | 16  | Asian Cup qualifying third round |  | 4–2 | -- | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0
3  |  Philippines | 8  | 3  | 1  | 4  | 8  | 12  | −4  | 10  |  | 1–5 | 3–2 | -- | 2–1 | 0–1
4  |  Bahrain | 8  | 3  | 0  | 5  | 10  | 10  | 0  | 9  |  | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–0 | -- | 3–0
5  |  Yemen | 8  | 1  | 0  | 7  | 2  | 17  | −15  | 3  | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |  | 1–3 | 0–3[a] | 0–2 | 0–4 | --

Source: [13]
Notes:

1. ^ 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 1–0. Al-Radaei failed to serve an automatic one match suspension for receiving two yellow cards earlier in the First round of the competition.[20]

### Ranking of runner-up teams

[edit]

To determine the four best runner-up teams, the following criteria were used:

1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
2. Goal difference
3. Goals scored
4. Fair play points
5. Drawing of lots

As a result of Indonesia being disqualified due to FIFA suspension, Group F contained only four teams compared to five teams in all other groups. Therefore, the results against the fifth-placed team were not counted when determining the ranking of the runner-up teams.[21]

Pos | Grp | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

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1  | F |  Iraq | 6  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 13  | 6  | +7  | 12  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup
2  | E |  Syria | 6  | 4  | 0  | 2  | 14  | 11  | +3  | 12
3  | A |  United Arab Emirates[a] | 6  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 16  | 4  | +12  | 11  | World Cup qualifying third round
4  | C |  China | 6  | 3  | 2  | 1  | 9  | 1  | +8  | 11  | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup
5  | H |  North Korea | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 10  | 8  | +2  | 10  | Asian Cup qualifying third round
6  | B |  Jordan | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 9  | 7  | +2  | 10
7  | D |  Oman | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 6  | 6  | 0  | 8
8  | G |  Lebanon | 6  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 3  | 6  | −3  | 5

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fourth in the group, 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Fair play points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Notes:

1. ^ United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.

## Third round

[edit]

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round

The third round consisted of two groups of six teams. The first two teams in each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The two third-placed teams proceeded to the fourth round.

The draw for the third round was held on 12 April 2016, at 16:30 MST (UTC+8), at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[22][23]

### Groups

[edit]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers

In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[24]

1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
2. Overall goal difference
3. Overall goals scored
4. Points in matches between tied teams
5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
8. Fair play points
* first yellow card: minus 1 point
* indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
* direct red card: minus 4 points
* yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

#### Group A

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Iran | 10  | 6  | 4  | 0  | 10  | 2  | +8  | 22  | 2018 FIFA World Cup |  | -- | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0
2  |  South Korea | 10  | 4  | 3  | 3  | 11  | 10  | +1  | 15  |  | 0–0 | -- | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–2
3  |  Syria | 10  | 3  | 4  | 3  | 9  | 8  | +1  | 13  | Fourth round |  | 0–0 | 0–0 | -- | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–1
4  |  Uzbekistan | 10  | 4  | 1  | 5  | 6  | 7  | −1  | 13  |  |  | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | -- | 2–0 | 1–0
5  |  China | 10  | 3  | 3  | 4  | 8  | 10  | −2  | 12  |  | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | -- | 0–0
6  |  Qatar | 10  | 2  | 1  | 7  | 8  | 15  | −7  | 7  |  | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | --

Source: FIFA

#### Group B

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Japan | 10  | 6  | 2  | 2  | 17  | 7  | +10  | 20  | 2018 FIFA World Cup |  | -- | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–0
2  |  Saudi Arabia | 10  | 6  | 1  | 3  | 17  | 10  | +7  | 19  |  | 1–0 | -- | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0
3  |  Australia | 10  | 5  | 4  | 1  | 16  | 11  | +5  | 19  | Fourth round |  | 1–1 | 3–2 | -- | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1
4  |  United Arab Emirates | 10  | 4  | 1  | 5  | 10  | 13  | −3  | 13  |  |  | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | -- | 2–0 | 3–1
5  |  Iraq | 10  | 3  | 2  | 5  | 11  | 12  | −1  | 11  |  | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | -- | 4–0
6  |  Thailand | 10  | 0  | 2  | 8  | 6  | 24  | −18  | 2  |  | 0–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | --

Source: FIFA

## Fourth round

[edit]

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round

The two third-placed teams in each group from the third round played against each other home-and-away over two legs to determine which team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The order of legs was announced during the draw for the third round.[25] Syria played their home match, as with all their home matches in the third round, in Malaysia due to the war time condition in Syria.[26]

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

Syria | 2–3  |  Australia | 1–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.)

## Inter-confederation play-offs

[edit]

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off)

The draw for the inter-confederation play-offs was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg.[27] The fifth-placed team from AFC was drawn against the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF, with the AFC team hosting the second leg.[28]

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

Honduras | 1–3  |  Australia | 0–0 | 1–3

## Qualified teams

[edit]

The following five teams from AFC qualified for the final tournament.

Team  | Qualified as  | Qualified on  | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1

|
|
|

Iran | Third round group A winners | 12 June 2017 | 4 (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014)
Japan | Third round group B winners | 31 August 2017 | 5 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
South Korea | Third round group A runners-up | 5 September 2017 | 9 (1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Saudi Arabia | Third round group B runners-up | 5 September 2017 | 4 (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Australia | CONCACAF v AFC play-off winners | 15 November 2017 | 4 (19742, 20062, 2010, 2014)

1 Italic indicates hosts for that year.

2 Australia qualified as a member of the OFC in 1974 and 2006 (qualifying took place until 2005 and they left the OFC and joined the AFC in 2006).

## Top goalscorers

[edit]

There were 665 goals scored in 223 matches, for an average of 2.98 goals per match.

16 goals

* Mohammad Al-Sahlawi[A]
* Ahmed Khalil

11 goals

* Tim Cahill
* Sardar Azmoun[A]

10 goals

* Omar Kharbin

9 goals

* Hassan Al-Haydos
* Ali Mabkhout

8 goals

* Yang Xu
* Mehdi Taremi[A]

7 goals

* Mile Jedinak
* Yu Dabao
* Keisuke Honda
* Son Heung-min

6 goals

* Tom Rogic
* Mohannad Abdul-Raheem
* Shinji Kagawa
* Hamza Al-Dardour
* Taisir Al-Jassim[A]
* Mahmoud Al-Mawas
* Manuchekhr Dzhalilov

Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:

* First round
* Second round
* Third round
* Fourth round

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Kuwait were disqualified after playing five matches. Indonesia were also disqualified before playing.

1. ^ a b c d e This player's goal tally includes one or more goals which the player scored in matches that were subsequently forfeited, but which FIFA still continued to count in its statistics.

## See also

[edit]

* 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
2. ^ a b "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Chollima Football Fans (in Italian). 11 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
3. ^ "Draw Procedures – Asian Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2015.
4. ^ "Road to Russia with new milestone". FIFA.com. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015.
5. ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – January 2015 (AFC)". FIFA.com. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015.
6. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015" (PDF). AFC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 April 2015.
7. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016" (PDF). AFC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 March 2017.
8. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2017" (PDF). AFC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2017.
9. ^ "India v Nepal headlines 2018 World Cup, 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers draw". AFC. 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015.
10. ^ "Draw date set for Round 2 of 2018 World Cup, 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers". AFC. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015.
11. ^ "Draw: Russia 2018 / UAE 2019 Joint Qualification Round 2". AFC. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015.
12. ^ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h "FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) 2018, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
14. ^ "DISCIPLINARY OVERVIEW – 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA QUALIFIERS" (PDF). FIFA. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016.
15. ^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
16. ^ "Impact of Football Association of Indonesia suspension". AFC. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
17. ^ "Suspension of the Kuwait Football Association". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
18. ^ "Kuwait sanctioned after unplayed FIFA World Cup™ qualifier". FIFA. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
19. ^ "Kuwait's matches against Laos and Korea Republic forfeited". The-AFC.com. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
20. ^ "Yemen sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
21. ^ "Criteria to Determine the Rankings of Best-placed Teams among the Groups" (PDF). AFC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2015.
22. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup: Asian Qualifying Round 3 line up complete". Asian Football Confederation. 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016.
23. ^ "Stage set for Russia 2018 Asian qualifiers Final Round draw". Asian Football Confederation. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016.
24. ^ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
25. ^ "Draw Mechanics for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers". YouTube. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. "Asian play-off: MD1 (1st leg), 5 Oct 2017, A3 vs B3; MD2 (2nd leg), 10 Oct 2017, B3 vs A3. (Displayed in video at 1:40)"
26. ^ "Australia v Syria World Cup qualifier to be held in Malaysia, AFC confirms". ABC News. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017.
27. ^ "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
28. ^ "The Preliminary Draw results in full". FIFA.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Official FIFA World Cup website
* Qualifiers – Asia, FIFA.com
* FIFA World Cup, the-AFC.com
* Preliminary Joint Qualification 2018 Archived 9 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine, stats.the-AFC.com
* FIFA World Cup 2018, stats.the-AFC.com

* v
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* e

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

« 2014

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AFC|

* First round
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CAF|

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CONMEBOL|

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OFC|

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2016 in Japanese football

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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Agg.]: Aggregate score
*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[Grp]: Group