South Korea have drawn modest counterparts in the final Asian qualification round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as they try to reach the sport’s premium competition for the ninth consecutive time.
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But Australia coach Ange Postecoglou was confident his side, who will start on September 1 with a home clash against Iraq, would play in Russian Federation.
Group B features Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq and Thailand.
That meant the only team Australia – the second highest-ranked team in Asia at 57 – couldn’t be drawn with was the highest ranked team – No. 50 ranked Iran – as they shared the number one pot.
The victor and runner-up of each group (four teams in total) will qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russian Federation while the third-placed teams of each group (two teams in total) will advance to the play-off round.
Group A was headlined by consistent qualifiers South Korea and Asia’s top-ranked team Iran, who both represented the continent at the last World Cup in Brazil along with Australia and Japan.
“Korea would be a great test for us… and to beat Japan, whether home or away, would show we’re definitely on the right path”.
“I’d like to think we could be dominant against them, particularly here at home, have more possession and put them on the back foot”. We have a complete new team.
AFC in a statement said following the interest by the 4 Asian countries who met the March 31 deadline, they will now have to provide government guarantees to host the AFC Asian Cup.
Qatar’s head coach Jose Daniel Carreno said he was pleased to be playing in Group A.
“It should be a game of World Cup quality in terms of pressure and intensity”.
The Gulf state has been battered by ongoing allegations of corruption, charges it denies, and labour abuse, which it claims to be addressing through reform.
After a campaign that looked set to be over before it had even begun, China will look at today’s draw for the third and final round of World Cup 2018 qualifying knowing that their chances of reaching Russian Federation in 2018 have just improved, if only slightly.
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Southeast Asia’s only representative Thailand, the lowest-rank team in the qualifying finals, has an impossible task ahead. “They are in a tough group”, David Mitchell, former Australian striker told AFP.
