SYDNEY (31 March 2016) – The line up for the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World has been finalised following the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 on Tuesday.
The eight group winners and four best second-placed teams that will take their place in the third qualifying round draw are as follows:
GROUP WINNERS
Group A: Saudi Arabia
Group B: Australia
Group C: Qatar
Group D: Iran
Group E: Japan
Group F: Thailand
Group G: Korea Republic
Group H: Uzbekistan
BEST SECOND-PLACED TEAMS
- Iraq
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates
- China
The third round draw will be held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on April 12, where these 12 teams divided in to two groups of six.
The six teams in each group will play each other on a home and away basis with top two sides from each group booking their place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
The two third-placed teams will face each other over two legs, with the winner taking on the side that finishes fourth in the fifth round of the CONCACAF qualifiers in a two-legged inter-confederation playoff.group stage despite being defending champions and co-hosts.
