2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round

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2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round
Tournament details
Dates5 September 2019 – 15 June 2021
Teams40 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played157
Goals scored519 (3.31 per match)
Attendance1,598,753 (10,183 per match)
Top scorer(s)United Arab Emirates Ali Mabkhout
(11 goals)
2018
2026

The AFC second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, which also served as the second round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification, was played from 5 September 2019 to 15 June 2021.[1][2][3]

Format[edit]

A total of forty teams were drawn into eight groups of five to play home-and-away round-robin matches. They included the 34 teams (teams ranked 1–34 in the AFC entrant list) which received byes to this round, and the six winners from the first round.

Seven group winners (excluding Qatar, who had already qualified to the World Cup as tournament hosts) and the five best runners-up advanced to the third round.

Matches in this round were also part of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign.[4] The twelve teams which advanced to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualification and Qatar, as group winners, automatically qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[5] Twenty-four teams (22 of which advanced directly and two which advanced from an additional play-off round)[6] played in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualification to decide the remaining eleven teams. In total, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup featured 24 teams.

Seeding[edit]

The draw for the second round was held on 17 July 2019 at 17:00 MST (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[7]

The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of June 2019 (shown in parentheses below).[8]

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the Third round.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5
  1.  Iraq (77)
  2.  Uzbekistan (82)
  3.  Syria (85)
  4.  Oman (86)
  5.  Lebanon (99)
  6.  Kyrgyzstan (95)
  7.  Vietnam (96)
  8.  Jordan (98)
  1.  Palestine (100)
  2.  India (101)
  3.  Bahrain (110)
  4.  Thailand (116)
  5.  Tajikistan (120)
  6.  North Korea (122)W
  7.  Chinese Taipei (125)
  8.  Philippines (126)
  1.  Turkmenistan (135)
  2.  Myanmar (138)
  3.  Hong Kong (141)
  4.  Yemen (144)
  5.  Afghanistan (149)
  6.  Maldives (151)
  7.  Kuwait (156)
  8.  Malaysia (159)
  1.  Indonesia (160)
  2.  Singapore (162)
  3.    Nepal (165)
  4.  Cambodia (169)
  5.  Bangladesh (183)
  6.  Mongolia (187)
  7.  Guam (190)
  8.  Sri Lanka (201)

First round winners
W Withdrew after five matches

Schedule[edit]

The schedule of each matchday was as follows.

On 5 March 2020, FIFA announced that it would be monitoring the health situation in the region for possible rescheduling of matchdays 7 through 10 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Later on 9 March, FIFA and AFC jointly announced that the matches on matchdays 7–10 due to take place in March and June 2020 were postponed, with the new dates to be confirmed. However, subject to approval by FIFA and AFC, and agreement of both member associations, the matches may be played as scheduled provided that all individuals' safety meets the required standards.[10][11] On 5 June, AFC confirmed that matchdays 7 and 8 were scheduled to take place on 8 and 13 October respectively while matchdays 9 and 10 were scheduled to kick off on 12 and 17 November.[12] On 12 August, FIFA announced that the matches scheduled for October and November 2020 would be rescheduled to 2021.[13][14]

On 11 November 2020, the AFC Competitions Committee agreed at its third meeting that all second-round matches should be completed by 15 June 2021 with matchdays 7 and 8 in March and 9 and 10 in June.[3] On the same day, however, FIFA, along with the Bangladeshi and Qatari associations, approved the only second-round match originally scheduled for 2020, Qatar versus Bangladesh, which was played on 4 December.[15]

On 19 February 2021, FIFA and AFC postponed most of the upcoming matches to June.[16]

Note: The group spots of Qatar and Bangladesh were swapped due to Qatar's planned participation in the 2020 Copa América, which was later deferred (becoming the 2021 Copa América). Qatar eventually withdrew.

Matchday Date(s) Matches
Matchday 1 5 September 2019 3 v 2, 5 v 4
Matchday 2 10 September 2019 4 v 1, 5 v 3
Matchday 3 10 October 2019 1 v 5, 2 v 4
Matchday 4 15 October 2019 5 v 2, 3 v 1
Matchday 5 14 November 2019 4 v 3, 2 v 1
Matchday 6 19 November 2019 2 v 3, 4 v 5
Matchday 7 25 March, 28 May and 3 June 2021 1 v 4, 3 v 5
Matchday 8 4 December 2020, 30 March and 7 & 9 June 2021 5 v 1, 4 v 2
Matchday 9 30 March, 30 May and 11 June 2021 2 v 5, 1 v 3
Matchday 10 13 and 15 June 2021 3 v 4, 1 v 2
Original group stage schedule
Matchday Date
Matchday 7 26 March 2020, later 8 October
Matchday 8 31 March 2020, later 13 October
Matchday 9 4 June 2020, later 12 November, then 7 June 2021
Matchday 10 9 June 2020, later 17 November

Centralised venues[edit]

On 12 March 2021, AFC confirmed the hosts for the group stage scheduled to take place from 31 May to 15 June.[17]

  • Group A: United Arab Emirates (China hosted Guam on 28 May.)
  • Group B: Kuwait
  • Group C: Bahrain
  • Group D: Saudi Arabia
  • Group E: Qatar
  • Group F: Japan
  • Group G: United Arab Emirates
  • Group H: South Korea

In general, these hosts were the seeded (Pot 1) teams from each group. The exceptions were Group A (where United Arab Emirates took over hosting duties after China could not host due to COVID-19 restrictions), Group B (where Pot 4 team Kuwait hosted rather than Australia), and Group C (where Pot 3 team Bahrain hosted rather than Iran).

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Syria 8 7 0 1 22 7 +15 21 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 2–1 1–0 2–1 4–0
2  China[a] 8 6 1 1 30 3 +27 19 3–1 2–0 5–0 7–0
3  Philippines 8 3 2 3 12 11 +1 11 Asian Cup qualifying third round 2–5 0–0 1–1 3–0
4  Maldives 8 2 1 5 7 20 −13 7 0–4 0–5 1–2 3–1
5  Guam 8 0 0 8 2 32 −30 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–3 0–7 1–4 0–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ China qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation. They withdrew their hosting right in May 2022.
Guam 0–1 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
  • Mahudhee 27'
Attendance: 714
Referee: Yaqoub Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates)
Philippines 2–5 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,645
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)

Guam 1–4 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,096
Referee: Kim Woo-sung (South Korea)
Maldives 0–5 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

China 7–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 39,987
Referee: Ali Reda (Lebanon)
Syria 2–1 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Rashid Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 3]
Attendance: 5,500

Philippines 0–0 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,982
Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan)
Syria 4–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,050
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

Maldives 1–2 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,700
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)
Syria 2–1 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,950
Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

Maldives 3–1 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,612
Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)
Syria 1–0 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,445

Guam 0–7 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Maldives 0–4 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0

Guam 0–3 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0
Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)
China 2–0 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0

Philippines 3–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0
China 5–0 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)

Philippines 1–1 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0
China 3–1 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0

Goalscorers

There were 73 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 3.65 goals per match.

8 goals

7 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Group B[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Australia 8 8 0 0 28 2 +26 24 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 3–0 1–0 5–0 5–1
2  Kuwait 8 4 2 2 19 7 +12 14 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 0–0 7–0 9–0
3  Jordan 8 4 2 2 13 3 +10 14 0–1 0–0 3–0 5–0
4    Nepal 8 2 0 6 4 22 −18 6 0–3 0–1 0–3 2–0
5  Chinese Taipei 8 0 0 8 4 34 −30 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 1–7 1–2 1–2 0–2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Chinese Taipei 1–2 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,520
Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)
Kuwait 7–0   Nepal
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,500
Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

Chinese Taipei 0–2   Nepal
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,780
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)
Kuwait 0–3 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia 5–0   Nepal
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 18,563
Jordan 0–0 Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 10,720
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Chinese Taipei 1–7 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,251
Referee: Mongkolchai Pechsri (Thailand)
Jordan 3–0   Nepal
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,863
Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

Kuwait 9–0 Chinese Taipei
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Jordan 0–1 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 9,712
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Nepal   0–1 Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)

Nepal   2–0 Chinese Taipei
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Kim Woo-sung (South Korea)
Australia 3–0 Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Nepal   0–3 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Australia 5–1 Chinese Taipei
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Saoud Al-Adba (Qatar)

Nepal   0–3 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia 1–0 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Kim Woo-Sung (South Korea)
Chinese Taipei 1–2 Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Goalscorers

There were 68 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 3.4 goals per match.

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Group C[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 8 6 0 2 34 4 +30 18 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 1–0 3–0 3–1 14–0
2  Iraq 8 5 2 1 14 4 +10 17 2–1 0–0 2–0 4–1
3  Bahrain 8 4 3 1 15 4 +11 15 Asian Cup qualifying third round 1–0 1–1 4–0 8–0
4  Hong Kong 8 1 2 5 4 13 −9 5 0–2 0–1 0–0 2–0
5  Cambodia 8 0 1 7 2 44 −42 1 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–10 0–4 0–1 1–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Cambodia 1–1 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 45,500
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Bahrain 1–1 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,049
Referee: Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)

Cambodia 0–1 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Nivon Robesh Gamini (Sri Lanka)
Hong Kong 0–2 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 13,942

Iran 14–0 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 15,823
Iraq 2–0 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Cambodia 0–4 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 48,258
Referee: Clifford Daypuyat (Philippines)
Bahrain 1–0 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Hong Kong 0–0 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Iraq 2–1 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Hong Kong 2–0 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,497
Referee: Ali Shaban (Kuwait)
Iraq 0–0 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Iran 3–1 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Bahrain 8–0 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

Iraq 4–1 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)
Iran 3–0 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Cambodia 0–10 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Hong Kong 0–1 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

Iran 1–0 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Bahrain 4–0 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)

Goalscorers

There were 69 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 3.45 goals per match.

7 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Group D[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 8 6 2 0 22 4 +18 20 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 3–0 5–0 3–0 3–0
2  Uzbekistan 8 5 0 3 18 9 +9 15 Asian Cup qualifying third round 2–3 2–0 5–0 5–0
3  Palestine 8 3 1 4 10 10 0 10 0–0 2–0 4–0 3–0
4  Singapore 8 2 1 5 7 22 −15 7 0–3 1–3 2–1 2–2
5  Yemen 8 1 2 5 6 18 −12 5 2–2 0–1 1–0 1–2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Singapore 2–2 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,018
Palestine 2–0 Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Singapore 2–1 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,011
Referee: Yu Ming-hsun (Chinese Taipei)
Yemen 2–2 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Uzbekistan 5–0 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 28,571
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
Saudi Arabia 3–0 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Singapore 1–3 Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 12,547
Referee: Shen Yinhao (China)
Palestine 0–0 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Uzbekistan 2–3 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 31,524
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Yemen 1–0 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Uzbekistan 2–0 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Yemen 1–2 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)



Saudi Arabia 3–0 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,382
Referee: Nivon Robesh Gamini (Sri Lanka)

Uzbekistan 5–0 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Singapore 0–3 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,879
Referee: Mohanad Qasim (Iraq)

Palestine 3–0 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 430
Referee: Masoud Tufayelieh (Syria)

Goalscorers

There were 62 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 3.1 goals per match.

7 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Group E[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar[a] 8 7 1 0 18 1 +17 22 Asian Cup 2–1 0–0 6–0 5–0
2  Oman 8 6 0 2 16 6 +10 18 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 0–1 1–0 3–0 4–1
3  India 8 1 4 3 6 7 −1 7 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–1
4  Afghanistan 8 1 3 4 5 15 −10 6 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–0
5  Bangladesh 8 0 2 6 3 19 −16 2 0–2 0–3 0–2 1–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Qatar has already qualified for the World Cup as the host nation.

The group spots of Qatar and Bangladesh were swapped due to Qatar's planned participation in the 2020 Copa América. The tournament was later deferred (becoming the 2021 Copa América), and eventually Qatar withdrew from it.

India 1–2 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Qatar 6–0 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 10,950
Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan)

Afghanistan 1–0 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Zhang Lei (China)
Qatar 0–0 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bangladesh 0–2 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 24,570
Referee: Bijan Heidari (Iran)
Oman 3–0 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)

India 1–1 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 53,286
Referee: Masoud Tufayelieh (Syria)
Qatar 2–1 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 26,731
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Afghanistan 1–1 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 8,100
Referee: Yu Ming-hsun (Chinese Taipei)
Oman 4–1 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 24,000
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

Afghanistan 0–1 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)
Oman 1–0 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 24,250
Referee: Nivon Robesh Gamini (Sri Lanka)

Qatar 5–0 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bangladesh 1–1 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
India 0–1 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,022
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Bangladesh 0–2 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 495
Referee: Zaid Thamer (Iraq)
Oman 0–1 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Afghanistan 1–2 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 183
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

India 1–1 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 603
Referee: Ali Reda (Lebanon)
Bangladesh 0–3 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 885
Referee: Ali Shaban (Kuwait)

Goalscorers

There were 48 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 2.4 goals per match.

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Group F[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 8 8 0 0 46 2 +44 24 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 4–1 5–1 6–0 10–0
2  Tajikistan 8 4 1 3 14 12 +2 13 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 1–0 3–0 4–0
3  Kyrgyzstan 8 3 1 4 19 12 +7 10 0–2 1–1 0–1 7–0
4  Mongolia 8 2 0 6 3 27 −24 6 0–14 0–1 1–2 1–0
5  Myanmar 8 2 0 6 6 35 −29 6 0–2 4–3 1–8 1–0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Mongolia 1–0 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Tajikistan 1–0 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Mongolia 0–1 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,455
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
Myanmar 0–2 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 25,500
Referee: Ahmad Yacoub Ibrahim (Jordan)

Japan 6–0 Mongolia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 43,122
Referee: Chae Sang-hyeop (South Korea)
Kyrgyzstan 7–0 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 13,000
Referee: Omar Mohamed Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Mongolia 1–2 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,182
Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)
Tajikistan 0–3 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,100
Referee: Zaid Thamer (Iraq)

Myanmar 4–3 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,365
Referee: Masoud Tufayelieh (Syria)
Kyrgyzstan 0–2 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 17,543
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

Myanmar 1–0 Mongolia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Kyrgyzstan 1–1 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Tajikistan 3–0 Mongolia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Mongolia 0–14 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Omar Mohamed Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Japan 10–0 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)

Kyrgyzstan 0–1 Mongolia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Yu Ming-hsun (Chinese Taipei)

Myanmar 1–8 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)

Japan 5–1 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Tajikistan 4–0 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0
Referee: Omar Mohamed Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Goalscorers

There were 88 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 4.4 goals per match.

9 goals

8 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Group G[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United Arab Emirates 8 6 0 2 23 7 +16 18 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 3–2 4–0 3–1 5–0
2  Vietnam 8 5 2 1 13 5 +8 17 1–0 1–0 0–0 4–0
3  Malaysia 8 4 0 4 10 12 −2 12 Asian Cup qualifying third round 1–2 1–2 2–1 2–0
4  Thailand 8 2 3 3 9 9 0 9 2–1 0–0 0–1 2–2
5  Indonesia 8 0 1 7 5 27 −22 1 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–5 1–3 2–3 0–3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Thailand 0–0 Vietnam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,011
Referee: Saoud Al-Adba (Qatar)
Indonesia 2–3 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Indonesia 0–3 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 11,619
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Malaysia 1–2 United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 43,200
Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

Vietnam 1–0 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
United Arab Emirates 5–0 Indonesia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Thailand 2–1 United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Malaysia 2–1 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Vietnam 1–0 United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Malaysia 2–0 Indonesia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Vietnam 0–0 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Thailand 2–2 Indonesia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)
United Arab Emirates 4–0 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,127
Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

United Arab Emirates 3–1 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 980
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Vietnam 4–0 Indonesia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 225
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait)

Indonesia 0–5 United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Zabeel Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 963
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)
Malaysia 1–2 Vietnam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 335
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Thailand 0–1 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 6]
Attendance: 142
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

Goalscorers

There were 60 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 3 goals per match.

11 goals

5 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Group H[edit]

North Korea withdrew due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore the results of their matches were excluded from the group standings.[32][33]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 6 5 1 0 22 1 +21 16 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 2–1 5–0 8–0 Canc.
2  Lebanon 6 3 1 2 11 8 +3 10 0–0 2–1 3–2 0–0
3  Turkmenistan 6 3 0 3 8 11 −3 9 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–2 3–2 2–0 3–1
4  Sri Lanka 6 0 0 6 2 23 −21 0 0–5 0–3 0–2 0–1
5  North Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew 0–0 2–0 Canc. Canc.
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
North Korea Voided
(2–0)
 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Sherzod Kasimov (Uzbekistan)
Sri Lanka 0–2 Turkmenistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,120
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

Turkmenistan 0–2 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sri Lanka Voided
(0–1)
 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,258
Referee: Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)

South Korea 8–0 Sri Lanka
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 23,522
Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)
Lebanon 2–1 Turkmenistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,820
Referee: Takuto Okabe (Japan)

North Korea Voided
(0–0)
 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sri Lanka 0–3 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,052
Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)

Turkmenistan Voided
(3–1)
 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Lebanon 0–0 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Turkmenistan 2–0 Sri Lanka
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 26,304
Referee: Saoud Al-Adba (Qatar)
Lebanon Voided
(0–0)
 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 0[note 19]
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)

North Korea Cancelled Sri Lanka
Report (AFC)

Lebanon 3–2 Sri Lanka
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 73
Referee: Ahmad Yacoub Ibrahim (Jordan)

South Korea Cancelled North Korea
Report (AFC)

Turkmenistan 3–2 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 52
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
Sri Lanka 0–5 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,008
Referee: Shen Yinhao (China)

South Korea 2–1 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

North Korea Cancelled Turkmenistan
Report (AFC)

Goalscorers

There were 50 goals scored in 17 matches, for an average of 2.94 goals per match.

6 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Ranking of runner-up teams[edit]

Group H contained only four teams compared to five teams in all other groups after North Korea withdrew. Therefore, the results against the fifth-placed team were not counted when determining the ranking of the runner-up teams.[33]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A  China[a] 6 4 1 1 16 3 +13 13 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup
2 E  Oman 6 4 0 2 9 5 +4 12
3 C  Iraq 6 3 2 1 6 3 +3 11
4 G  Vietnam 6 3 2 1 6 4 +2 11
5 H  Lebanon 6 3 1 2 11 8 +3 10
6 F  Tajikistan 6 3 1 2 7 8 −1 10 Asian Cup qualifying third round
7 D  Uzbekistan 6 3 0 3 12 9 +3 9
8 B  Kuwait 6 2 2 2 8 6 +2 8
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ China already qualified for the Asian Cup as host nation. They withdrew their hosting right in May 2022.

Ranking of fifth-placed teams[edit]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 F  Myanmar 8 2 0 6 6 35 −29 6 Asian Cup qualifying third round
2 D  Yemen 8 1 2 5 6 18 −12 5
3 E  Bangladesh 8 0 2 6 3 19 −16 2
4 G  Indonesia 8 0 1 7 5 27 −22 1 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round
5 C  Cambodia 8 0 1 7 2 44 −42 1
6 B  Chinese Taipei 8 0 0 8 4 34 −30 0
7 A  Guam 8 0 0 8 2 32 −30 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Qatar already qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup as tournament hosts and were competing to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
  2. ^ China PR had already qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup as tournament hosts and were competing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They relinquished their hosting right in May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Syria played their home matches in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns from the Syrian civil war.[18]
  4. ^ a b The fixtures between Guam and Syria were reversed from their original scheduled dates as the process for Syrian players to obtain United States visas would not be completed in time.[19]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Originally to be played on 31 March 2020, the match was postponed and rescheduled multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh The matches played in May and June 2021 were held in a single centralised venue chosen per group.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Originally to be played on 4 June 2020, the match was postponed and rescheduled multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Originally to be played on 26 March 2020, the match was postponed and rescheduled multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Originally to be played on 9 June 2020, the match was postponed and rescheduled multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
  10. ^ a b c d e f The home matches of Nepal against Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Kuwait were swapped with the away matches at the request of the All Nepal Football Association with consent from the opponents.[20] The only Nepali stadium that meets the required criteria for this competition is the Dasarath Rangasala, which was damaged in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, and would not be repaired in time.[21]
  11. ^ After previously swapping the home fixtures with other teams in the group due to Dasarath Rangasala, Kathmandu not being able to be repaired in time, Nepal then played their home fixtures at Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan due to the AFC citing that the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium has poor infrastructure.[22]
  12. ^ a b Following an assessment of the security situation in Iraq due to the 2019–2021 Iraqi protests, FIFA and AFC directed the Iraq Football Association to shift their home matches against Iran and Bahrain from the Basra International Stadium, Basra to a neutral ground.[23][24] The AFC later announced that the matches had been shifted to Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan.[25]
  13. ^ a b c Yemen played their home matches in Bahrain because of security concerns from the Yemeni Civil War.[26]
  14. ^ a b c Afghanistan played their home matches in Tajikistan because of security concerns from the War in Afghanistan.[27]
  15. ^ Originally to be played on 31 March 2020, the match was postponed and rescheduled multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia. The eventual date was approved by FIFA and the two national associations.[15]
  16. ^ The Mongolia v Japan match was played in Japan due to COVID-19 restrictions in Mongolia.[28]
  17. ^ The United Arab Emirates v Indonesia match was initially announced to be played without spectators following sanctions due to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup incident between the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.[29][30] The decision was later appealed by the UAEFA, and was successful.
  18. ^ The Indonesia v Vietnam match was shifted to Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar from Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta based on an internal risk management process and analysis by the PSSI General Secretariat.[31]
  19. ^ a b The Lebanon matches versus South Korea and North Korea were played behind closed doors due to security reasons regarding the Lebanese protests.[34][35]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2019". AFC. 21 March 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2019.
  2. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". AFC. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b "2022 FIFA World Cup: Asian qualifiers to be completed by March 2022". International Olympic Committee. 12 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Asia's 2022 Football World Cup qualifiers drawn, features continent's lowest ranked national teams". NewsIn.Asia. 20 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Competition Regulations AFC Asian Cup China 2023" (PDF). AFC. 11 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Line-up for AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Qualifiers Final Round unveiled". Asian Football Confederation. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Asian hopefuls begin mammoth campaign for Qatar 2022". FIFA. 17 July 2019.
  8. ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – June 2019 (AFC)". FIFA. 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019.
  9. ^ "Statement on upcoming Asian FIFA World Cup qualifiers". FIFA.com. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers". FIFA. 9 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers". AFC. 9 March 2020.
  12. ^ "AFC announces proposed dates for upcoming Asian Qualifiers". Asian Football Confederation. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Asia". FIFA. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Asia". AFC. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Qatar, Bangladesh to resume Asian qualifiers in December". AFC. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Update on upcoming Asian qualifiers in March and June". FIFA. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Centralised venues for Asian qualifiers confirmed". AFC. 12 March 2021.
  18. ^ "سوريا تلعب مبارياتها في تصفيات كأس آسيا والمونديال على ملاعب الإمارات" [Syria plays its Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers at the Emirates stadiums]. Al Bayan (in Arabic). 26 July 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Guam's Matao, Syria switch home matches". Pacific Daily News. 25 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Kuwait FA agrees to host Nepal". The Himalayan Times. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  21. ^ "Dashrath Stadium not capable of hosting first two World Cup Qualifying matches". The Kathmandu Post. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Nepal, Kuwait to play at Changlimithang Stadium, Bhutan". República. 11 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Iraq told to play this month's qualifiers at neutral venue". Reuters. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Iraq told to play this month's qualifiers at neutral venue". Euro Sport. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Joint Statement by FIFA, AFC for venues selected". AFC. 7 November 2019.
  26. ^ "اليمن يلعب مباريات التصفيات الآسيوية على أرض البحرين" [Yemen plays the Asian qualifying matches on Bahrain land]. Al-Watan (in Arabic). 18 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  27. ^ "'Rested booters' to leave for Dushanbe on Sep 1". The Daily Star. 15 August 2019.
  28. ^ "SAMURAI BLUE FIFAワールドカップカタール2022アジア2次予選 兼 AFCアジアカップ中国2023予選 3/30 SAMURAI BLUE 対 モンゴル代表戦 日本での開催決定". Japan Football Association. 10 February 2021.
  29. ^ "UAE FA Fined for fan conduct against Qatar in Asian Cup". beIN Sports. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  30. ^ "AFC DEC issues USD$150,000 fine on UAE FA". Asian Football Confederation. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Indonesia, Vietnam match moved to Bali". AFC. 6 September 2019.
  32. ^ "Latest update on Asian Qualifiers". Asian Football Confederation. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Latest decision on Asian Qualifiers". Asian Football Confederation. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Lebanon-Korea Republic match to be played behind closed doors". AFC. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Lebanon-DPR Korea match to be played behind closed doors". AFC. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019.

External links[edit]