2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round
The second round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification) was played from 24 May 2015 to 29 March 2016.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 June 2015 – 29 March 2016 |
| Teams | 39[note 1] (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 152 |
| Goals scored | 507 (3.34 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,293,258 (15,087 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Mohammad Al-Sahlawi(14 goals) |
← 2014 2022 → | |
Format
A total of forty teams (teams ranked 1–34 in the AFC entrant list 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 as well as qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals.
A total of 24 teams eliminated from World Cup qualification in the second round competed in the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which was separated from the third round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification), where they were divided into six groups of four teams and competed for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams consisted of the sixteen highest ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the eight teams that advanced from the play-off round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification which were contested by the remaining twelve teams eliminated in the second round.[2]
Seeding
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.[3][4]
The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of April 2015 (shown in parentheses below).[5] The 40 teams were seeded into five pots:[6]
- Pot 1 contained the teams ranked 1–8.
- Pot 2 contained the teams ranked 9–16.
- Pot 3 contained the teams ranked 17–24.
- Pot 4 contained the teams ranked 25–32.
- Pot 5 contained the teams ranked 33–40.
Each group contained one team from each of the five pots. The fixtures of each group were automatically decided based on the respective pot of each team.
As the seeding order was based on the most recent FIFA Rankings prior to the draw, it differed from the order in the AFC entrant list, which was based on the FIFA World Rankings of January 2015. Among the six first round winners, three were seeded higher than pot 5 (India in pot 3, Timor-Leste and Bhutan in pot 4), on the basis of ranking points gained from the first round matches, while the other three (Yemen, Cambodia and Chinese Taipei) were seeded in pot 5.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
|---|---|---|
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| |
| Pot 4 | Pot 5 | |
|
|
- Notes
- Bolded teams qualified for the third round.
- (D): Disqualified after draw
| 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):[7]
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Group A
| Pos | Team | 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[a] | |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates[b]
|
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 | 0–3[c] | 1–2 | 0–6 | — | 1–1[a] | |
| 5 | East Timor[a]
|
8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 36 | −34 | 2 | 0–10 | 0–1[a] | 1–1[a] | 0–1[a] | — |
- ^ a b c d e f On 12 December 2017, AFC decided to forfeit the first five matches involving Timor-Leste – both v Malaysia, home v United Arab Emirates, away v Saudi Arbia, and home v Palestine due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
- ^ United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.
- ^ Match abandoned after 87 minutes due to a group of supporters throwing flares at the pitch. A month later, FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia 3–0 win.[9][10]
| Malaysia | 1–1 Forfeited[note 3] | East Timor |
|---|---|---|
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| Saudi Arabia | 3–2 | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
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| East Timor | 0–1 Forfeited[note 5] | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
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| Saudi Arabia | 7–0 Forfeited[note 7] | East Timor |
|---|---|---|
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| Malaysia | 0–3 Awarded[note 8] | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
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| Palestine | 0–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Ali Sabah Adday Al-Qaysi (Iraq)
| East Timor | 1–1 Forfeited[note 9] | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
|
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| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
|
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Attendance: 32,482
Referee: Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari Bin Jahari (Singapore)
| East Timor | 0–1 Forfeited[note 10] | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| Palestine | 0–0 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
| Palestine | 6–0 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
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| East Timor | 0–10 | Saudi Arabia |
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| Malaysia | 1–2 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
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| United Arab Emirates | 2–0 | Palestine |
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| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
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| Palestine | 7–0 | East Timor |
|---|---|---|
|
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Group B
| Pos | Team | 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 | — |
| Bangladesh | 1–3 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
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| Tajikistan | 1–3 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
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| Bangladesh | 1–1 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
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| Bangladesh | 0–4 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
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| Jordan | 2–0 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
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| Kyrgyzstan | 2–2 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
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| Jordan | 3–0 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
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| Tajikistan | 5–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
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| Jordan | 8–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
|
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Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari Bin Jahari (Singapore)
| Australia | 5–1 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
|
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |
| Hong Kong | 7–0 | Bhutan |
|---|---|---|
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| Maldives | 0–1 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
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| Hong Kong | 2–0 | Maldives |
|---|---|---|
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| Maldives | 0–3 | China |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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Attendance: 28,036
Referee: Sukhbir Singh (Singapore)
| Qatar | 1–0 | China |
|---|---|---|
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| China | 12–0 | Bhutan |
|---|---|---|
|
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| China | 4–0 | Maldives |
|---|---|---|
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| China | 2–0 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
|
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Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |
- ^ FIFA awarded Iran a 3–0 win as a result of India fielding the ineligible player Eugeneson Lyngdoh.[22] The match initially ended 3–0 to Iran.
| Guam | 1–0 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
|
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| India | 1–2 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
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| Guam | 2–1 | India |
|---|---|---|
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| Turkmenistan | 1–1 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
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| India | 0–3 Awarded[note 13] | Iran |
|---|---|---|
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Attendance: 14,500
Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)
| Oman | 1–1 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
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| Oman | 3–0 | India |
|---|---|---|
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| Iran | 3–1 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
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| India | 1–0 | Guam |
|---|---|---|
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| Guam | 0–6 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
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| Iran | 4–0 | India |
|---|---|---|
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| Oman | 1–0 | Guam |
|---|---|---|
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| Iran | 2–0 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
|
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Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |
| Syria | 1–0 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
|
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Attendance: 100
Referee: Yousef Al-Marzouq (Kuwait)
| Singapore | 1–2 | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
|
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | — |
| Chinese Taipei | 0–2 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
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| Chinese Taipei | 1–2 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
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| Thailand | 2–2 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
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| Vietnam | 0–3 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
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| Vietnam | 4–1 | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
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| Iraq | 1–0 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
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Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
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|
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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 | — |
- ^ 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.[29][30][31] 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.
| Laos | 2–2 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
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| Lebanon | 0–1 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
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| South Korea | 8–0 | Laos |
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| Lebanon | 0–3 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
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| Myanmar | 0–2 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Attendance: 3,056
Referee: Mohd Nafeez Abdul Wahab (Malaysia)
| Myanmar | 3–1 | Laos |
|---|---|---|
|
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Attendance: 6,500
Referee: Salah Abbas Alabbasi (Bahrain)
| Kuwait | 0–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Attendance: 12,150
Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)
| South Korea | 4–0 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
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| Laos | 0–5 | South Korea |
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| Myanmar | 3–0 Awarded[note 22] | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
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| Kuwait | 0–3 Awarded[note 24] | Laos |
|---|---|---|
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| Lebanon | 1–1 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
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| South Korea | 3–0 Awarded[note 26] | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
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Group H
| Pos | Team | 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 | — |
- ^ 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.[38]
| Philippines | 2–1 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
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| Yemen | 0–3 Awarded[note 27] | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
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Attendance: 3,200
Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)
| North Korea | 4–2 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
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| Yemen | 0–2 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (AFC) |
Attendance: 5,200
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)
| Yemen | 0–4 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
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| Bahrain | 0–4 | Uzbekistan |
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| Bahrain | 2–0 | Philippines |
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| Uzbekistan | 3–1 | North Korea |
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| North Korea | 2–0 | Bahrain |
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| Yemen | 1–3 | Uzbekistan |
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| Bahrain | 3–0 | Yemen |
|---|---|---|
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| Philippines | 3–2 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
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| Uzbekistan | 1–0 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
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Attendance: 34,000
Ranking of runner-up teams
To determine the four best runner-up teams, the following criteria were used:
- Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Fair play points
- Drawing of lots
As a result of Indonesia being disqualified by 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.[41]
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
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:
- ^ United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.
Ranking of fourth-placed teams
To determine the four best fourth-placed teams, the following criteria were used:
- Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Fair play points
- Drawing of lots
As a result of Indonesia being disqualified by 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 fourth-placed teams.[41]
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | Guam
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 4 | Asian Cup qualifying third round |
| 2 | G | Myanmar
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 18 | −14 | 4 | |
| 3 | H | Bahrain
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 3 | |
| 4 | E | Afghanistan
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 24 | −20 | 3 | |
| 5 | B | Tajikistan
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 1 | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |
| 6 | F | Chinese Taipei
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 19 | −14 | 0 | |
| 7 | C | Maldives
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 15 | −15 | 0 | |
| 8 | A | Malaysia
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 29 | −28 | 0 |
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.
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.
Goalscorers
There were 507 goals scored in 149 matches, for an average of 3.4 goals per match.
14 goals
11 goals
8 goals
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
Nathan Burns
Jiang Ning
Maya Yoshida
Khampheng Sayavutthi
Ri Hyok-chol- Jong Il-gwan
Jonathan Cantillana- Tamer Seyam
Misagh Bahadoran
Ali Assadalla
Yahya Al-Shehri[note 29]
Safuwan Baharudin- Fazrul Nawaz
Kwon Chang-hoon- Lee Jae-sung
Mahmoud Al-Mawas- Sanharib Malki
Teerasil Dangda
Arslanmyrat Amanow
Omar Abdulrahman[note 29]
Odil Ahmedov
Lê Công Vinh
2 goals
Khaibar Amani- Norlla Amiri
- Mustafa Zazai
- Massimo Luongo
- Mark Milligan
- Aaron Mooy
Ismail Abdullatif- Abdulwahab Al-Malood
- Sayed Mohamed Adnan
Tshering Dorji- Chencho Gyeltshen
- Wang Yongpo
- Wu Lei
- Yu Hanchao
Wu Chun-ching
Godfred Karikari- Lam Ka Wai
- Jaimes McKee
Sunil Chhetri
Ashkan Dejagah- Ehsan Hajsafi
Ali Adnan- Justin Meram
- Mu Kanazaki
Vitalij Lux
Hassan Chaito- Hassan Maatouk
Aung Thu- Pak Kwang-ryong
Amad Al-Hosni- Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri
- Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali
- Jaka Ihbeisheh
- Sameh Maraaba
- Yashir Pinto
- Iain Ramsay
- Karim Boudiaf
- Mohammed Kasola
- Fahad Al-Muwallad[note 29]
- Khairul Amri
- Jang Hyun-soo
- Ki Sung-yueng
- Koo Ja-cheol
- Suk Hyun-jun
- Abdelrazaq Al Hussain
- Raja Rafe
Akhtam Nazarov- Pokklaw Anan
- Theerathon Bunmathan
- Adisak Kraisorn
- Mongkol Tossakrai
Ramon Saro[note 29]- Guwanç Abylow
- Alexander Geynrikh
- Anzur Ismailov
- Nguyễn Văn Toàn
Ahmed Al-Sarori
1 goal
- Faysal Shayesteh
- Josef Shirdel
- Mathew Leckie
- Tommy Oar
- Sami Al-Husaini
- Hussain Ali Baba
- Mohamed Al Romaihi
- Abdullah Omar
Jahid Hasan Ameli- Biren Basnet
Sos Suhana- Huang Bowen
- Mei Fang
- Zhang Linpeng
- Zhang Xizhe
- Hung Kai-chun
- Wen Chih-hao
- Yaki Yen
Brandon McDonald- Travis Nicklaw
- Christian Annan
- Bai He
- Chan Siu Ki
- Ju Yingzhi
- Lo Kwan Yee
- Paulinho
- Xu Deshuai
- Sandesh Jhingan
- Jeje Lalpekhlua
- Robin Singh
- Karim Ansarifard
- Saeid Ezatolahi
- Jalal Hosseini
- Alireza Jahanbakhsh
- Kamal Kamyabinia
- Morteza Pouraliganji
- Ramin Rezaeian
- Masoud Shojaei
- Andranik Teymourian[note 29]
- Mehdi Torabi
- Mohannad Abdul-Raheem
- Ali Hosni
- Dhurgham Ismail
- Mahdi Kamel
- Ahmed Yasin
- Genki Haraguchi
- Hiroshi Kiyotake
- Masato Morishige
- Takashi Usami
Munther Abu Amarah- Yaseen Al-Bakhit
- Yousef Al-Naber
- Yousef Al-Rawashdeh
- Baha' Faisal
- Ahmed Samir
Ali Maqseed- Aziz Mashaan
- Faisal Zayid
- Ildar Amirov
- Edgar Bernhardt
- Bakhtiyar Duyshobekov
- Almazbek Mirzaliev
- Roda Antar
- Abbas Ahmed Atwi
- Hilal El-Helwe
- Mohammed Ghaddar
- Ali Hamam
- Youssef Mohamad
- Joan Oumari
- Feiz Shamsin
Mohd Amri Yahyah[note 29]- Baddrol Bakhtiar
- Mohd Safiq Rahim[note 29]
- Safee Sali[note 29]
Asadhulla Abdulla- Ahmed Nashid
- Ahmed Niyaz
- Kyaw Ko Ko
- Kyaw Zayar Win
- Suan Lam Mang
- Zaw Min Tun
- Jang Kuk-chol
- Ro Hak-su
- So Hyon-uk[note 29]
- So Kyong-jin
- Mohammed Al-Ghassani
- Saad Al-Mukhaini
- Qasim Said
- Raed Ibrahim Saleh
- Musab Al-Battat
- Ahmed Awad
- Abdelatif Bahdari
- Matías Jadue
- Pablo Tamburrini
- Khader Yousef
- Manuel Ott
- Javier Patiño
- Stephan Schröck
- Akram Afif
- Abdelkarim Hassan
- Ahmed Abdul Maqsoud
- Ismaeel Mohammad
- Sebastián Soria
- Salman Al-Faraj[note 29]
- Osama Hawsawi
- Naif Hazazi
- Faris Ramli
- Lee Chung-yong
- Lee Jeong-hyeop
- Nam Tae-hee
- Moayad Ajan
- Oday Al-Jafal
- Ahmad Kallasi
- Omar Midani
- Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev
- Tana Chanabut
- Kroekrit Thaweekarn
- Serdaraly Ataýew
- Artur Geworkýan
- Ruslan Mingazow
- Süleýman Muhadow
- Mekan Saparow
- Mohamed Ahmed
- Ismail Al Hammadi
- Ahmed Al Hashmi
- Dawood Ali
- Habib Fardan
- Mohanad Salem
- Stanislav Andreev
- Server Djeparov
- Azizbek Haydarov
- Eldor Shomurodov
- Đinh Tiến Thành
- Trần Phi Sơn
1 own goal
- Sharif Mukhammad (against Japan)
- Khoun Laboravy (against Japan)
- Leng Makara (against Syria)
- Ildar Amirov (against Australia)
- Valery Kichin (against Bangladesh)
- Ali Hamam (against South Korea)
- Zaw Min Tun (against Kuwait)
- Hamdi Al Masri (against Japan)
- Serdar Annaorazow (against Guam)
- Mekan Saparow (against Oman)
- Đinh Tiến Thành (against Thailand)
Notes
- ^ Indonesia was also drawn into this group, but on 30 May 2015 the country's football association was suspended due to governmental interference, and on 3 June 2015 the team was disqualified and all matches involving it were cancelled.
- ^ United Arab Emirates had already qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as tournament hosts and were competing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- ^ The match between Malaysia v Timor-Leste was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
- ^ a b The fixtures between Saudi Arabia and Palestine were switched after Saudi Arabia cited "exceptional conditions" for their inability to travel to the West Bank.[12] The return fixture, originally to be played on 13 October 2015 at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, Al-Ram, was later postponed by Saudi Arabia's refusal to pass through Israeli-controlled borders,[13] until the process of agreeing on the venue was concluded.[14] The match was rescheduled to be played on 5 November 2015 in Palestine, after the Palestinian Football Association gave full security guarantees for the match.[15] The match was later further delayed until 9 November, and to be changed to a neutral venue in Asia, as the Palestinian government confirmed that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security for the match.[16] The neutral venue was announced to be Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.[17]
- ^ The match between Timor-Leste v United Arab Emirates was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
- ^ Timor-Leste played their home match against the United Arab Emirates in Malaysia for the lack of a suitable venue in Dili.[18]
- ^ The match between Timor-Leste v Saudi Arabia was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
- ^ Match abandoned after 87 minutes due to a group of supporters throwing flares at the pitch. A month later, FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia 3–0 win.[19][20]
- ^ The match between Timor-Leste v Palestine was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
- ^ The match between Timor-Leste v Malaysia was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
- ^ a b The home matches of Palestine against Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were played on neutral ground as the Palestinian government confirmed that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security for the matches.[16] The neutral venue was announced to be Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.[17]
- ^ Maldives played their home match against China PR in China because of the poor condition of the National Football Stadium.[21]
- ^ FIFA awarded Iran a 3–0 win as a result of India fielding the ineligible player Eugeneson Lyngdoh.[22] The match initially ended 3–0 to Iran.
- ^ a b c d Afghanistan played their home matches in Iran because of security concerns from the War in Afghanistan.[23]
- ^ a b The fixtures between Japan and Singapore were switched because the Singapore National Stadium was booked on 16 June 2015 to host the closing ceremony of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[24]
- ^ a b c d Syria played their home matches in Oman because of security concerns from the Syrian Civil War.[25]
- ^ The Thailand v Vietnam match was brought forward from 11 June 2015, as it interfered with commitments for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[28]
- ^ a b c Iraq played their home matches in Iran because of security concerns from the Iraqi Civil War.[23]
- ^ a b c Myanmar played their home matches in Thailand due to a sanction after a crowd incident during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Oman. The sanction had originally banned the team from entering the competition, but the Myanmar FA filed an appeal to FIFA which was partially upheld.[32]
- ^ Kuwait played their home match against Myanmar in Qatar for unspecified reasons.[33]
- ^ The Myanmar v Kuwait match, originally to be played on 17 November 2015, 19:00 UTC+7, at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, was not played as scheduled because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association by FIFA.[34]
- ^ The match scheduled for 17 November 2015 should be canceled (and awarded as a 3–0 win for Myanmar) as it did not take place because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.[35][36]
- ^ The Kuwait v Laos match, originally to be played on 24 March 2016, 18:35 UTC+3, at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, was not played as scheduled because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association by FIFA.[34]
- ^ The match scheduled for 24 March 2016 should be canceled (and awarded as a 3–0 win for Laos) as it did not take place because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.[36][37]
- ^ The South Korea v Kuwait match, originally to be played on 29 March 2016, 20:00 UTC+9, at the Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu, was not played as scheduled because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association by FIFA.[34]
- ^ The match scheduled for 29 March 2016 should be canceled (and awarded as a 3–0 win for South Korea) as it did not take place because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.[36][37]
- ^ 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 by 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.[39]
- ^ a b c d Yemen played their home matches in Qatar because of security concerns from the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[40]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o This player's goal tally included one or more goals which the player scored in matches that were subsequently forfeited, but which FIFA still continued to count in its statistics.
References
- ^ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015.
Completing the tournament's qualifying contenders will be the next 16 highest ranked teams, with the remaining 12 sides battling it out in play-off matches to claim the last eight spots.
- ^ "Draw date set for Round 2 of 2018 World Cup, 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers". AFC. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Draw: Russia 2018 / UAE 2019 Joint Qualification Round 2". AFC. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – April 2015 (AFC)". FIFA.com. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Draw for Russia 2018, UAE 2019 Round 2 qualifiers looms large". AFC. 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Federacao Futebol Timor-Leste expelled from AFC Asian Cup 2023". The-AFC.com. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Rashvinjeet S. Bedi; T. Avineshwaran (8 September 2015). "Malaysia-Saudi match abandoned after crowd trouble". The Star. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Malaysia-Saudi match final result". FIFA.com. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) 2018, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Palestine and Saudi Arabia agree to swap venues for World Cup qualifier". The National (UAE). 8 June 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "World Cup 2018: Palestinians and Saudi Arabia at loggerheads over key game". CNN. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "FIFA statement on the Palestine-Saudi Arabia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier". FIFA.com. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015.
- ^ "Palestine vs Saudi Arabia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier to be played on 5 November". FIFA.com. 21 October 2015. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Palestine to play Saudi Arabia and Malaysia on neutral ground". FIFA.com. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Amman the venue for Palestine qualifiers". FIFA.com. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015.
- ^ "S. Korea to travel to Southeast Asia for friendly, World Cup qualifier". Yonhap News Agency. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ Rashvinjeet S. Bedi; T. Avineshwaran (8 September 2015). "Malaysia-Saudi match abandoned after crowd trouble". The Star. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Malaysia-Saudi match final result". FIFA.com. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ "足协公布FIFA确认函 敲定国足客战马代易地沈阳" [FIFA confirmed that the Maldives vs. China match would be played in Shenyang, China] (in Chinese). Sohu. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ a b "DISCIPLINARY OVERVIEW – 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA QUALIFIERS" (PDF). FIFA. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016.
- ^ a b Ali Khan, Mir Farhad (29 April 2015). "Crisis-Hit Countries Can Play World Cup Qualifiers in Iran". persianfootball.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ "Japan, Singapore approve swapping venues for World Cup qualifiers". The Japan Times. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ Pavitt, Michael (26 May 2015). "Japan to play FIFA World Cup away qualification matches against Afghanistan and Syria in neural venues". Inside The Games. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
- ^ "Impact of Football Association of Indonesia suspension". AFC. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ "FIFA reschedules Vietnam, Thailand match". Dantri International. 28 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
- ^ "Suspension of the Kuwait Football Association". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Kuwait sanctioned after unplayed FIFA World Cup™ qualifier". FIFA. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "Kuwait's matches against Laos and Korea Republic forfeited". The-AFC.com. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "Myanmar appeal partially upheld". FIFA. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Qatar agrees to host joint Asian, World Cup qualifiers". Kuwait Times. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "فيفا يؤكد عدم اقامة مباراة مينمار" (in Arabic). Kuwait Football Association. 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 13 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ "Kuwait sanctioned after unplayed FIFA World Cup qualifier". FIFA. 13 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ a b c "FIFA sanctions several football associations after discriminatory chants by fans" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Kuwait's matches against Laos and Korea Republic forfeited". FIFA. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Yemen sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ^ "Yemen sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Yemen football team flees war by boat to make World Cup 2018 qualifier with North Korea". ibtimes.co.uk. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Criteria to Determine the Rankings of Best-placed Teams among the Groups" (PDF). AFC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
External links
- Official FIFA World Cup website
- Qualifiers – Asia: Round 2, FIFA.com
- FIFA World Cup, the-AFC.com
- AFC Asian Cup, the-AFC.com
- Preliminary Joint Qualification 2018 Archived 9 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine, stats.the-AFC.com