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) will be played from 24 May 2015 to 29 March 2016.[1]

Format

A total of 40 teams (teams ranked 1–34 in the AFC entrant list and six first round winners) will be 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 will advance 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 will compete in the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which will be separate from the third round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification), where they will be divided into six groups of four teams and compete for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams will comprise of the 16 highest ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the eight teams that advance from the play-off round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification which are contested by the remaining 12 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]

Each group will contain a team from each of the five pots.

As the seeding order was based on the most recent FIFA Rankings prior to the draw, it differs 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 (shown in italics below), three of them were seeded higher than Pot 5 (India in Pot 3, Timor-Leste and Bhutan in Pot 4), due to ranking points gained from the first round matches.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5

Groups

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United Arab Emirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Palestine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Timor-Leste 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Jordan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Tajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Bangladesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  China PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Qatar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Maldives 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Bhutan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Hong Kong 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

16 June 2015
16:00 UTC+6
Bhutan  v  China PR
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu
Referee: Rowan Arumughan (India)

12 November 2015
China PR  v  Bhutan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
TBA

29 March 2016
China PR  v  Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
TBA

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Oman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Turkmenistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Guam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

8 September 2015
19:00 UTC+5:30
India  v  Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

17 November 2015
18:00 UTC+5
Turkmenistan  v  Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sport Toplumy, Türkmenabat

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 16 Jun '15 3 Sep '15
2  Syria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Afghanistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 12 Nov '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Cambodia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

8 October 2015
Syria  v  Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iraq 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Vietnam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Thailand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 24 May '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Indonesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 24 May 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

12 November 2015
Iraq  v  Indonesia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Kuwait 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Lebanon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  Myanmar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Laos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

8 October 2015
Myanmar  v  Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
TBA

13 October 2015
Myanmar  v  Laos
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
TBA

17 November 2015
Myanmar  v  Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
TBA

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup — 29 Mar '16 24 Mar '16 12 Nov '15 3 Sep '15
2  Bahrain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup OR Asian Cup qualifying third round[lower-alpha 1] 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15 3 Sep '15 24 Mar '16
3  Philippines 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round 8 Sep '15 11 Jun '15 — 29 Mar '16 12 Nov '15
4  North Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round OR play-off round[lower-alpha 2] 16 Jun '15 17 Nov '15 8 Oct '15 — 13 Oct '15
5  Yemen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 17 Nov '15 8 Sep '15 16 Jun '15 11 Jun '15 —
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goals scored; 7) Away head-to-head goals scored (two teams only); 8) Play-off
Notes:
  1. ↑ The four best runners-up across all groups will advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
  2. ↑ The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.[2]

Ranking of runner-up teams

To determine the four best runner-up teams, the following criteria are 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. Play-off match(es) on neutral ground (if approved by FIFA Organizing Committee), with extra time and penalty shoot-out if necessary
Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A 2nd place Group A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Third round and Asian Cup
2 B 2nd Place Group B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C 2nd Place Group C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 D 2nd Place Group D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 E 2nd Place Group E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round
6 F 2nd Place Group F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 G 2nd Place Group G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 H 2nd Place Group H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-off

Ranking of fourth-placed teams

To determine the four best fourth-placed 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. Play-off match(es) on neutral ground (if approved by AFC Organizing Committee), with extra time and penalty shoot-out if necessary
Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A 4th Place Group A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying third round
2 B 4th Place Group B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C 4th Place Group C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 D 4th Place Group D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 E 4th Place Group E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round
6 F 4th Place Group F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 G 4th Place Group G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 H 4th Place Group H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 11 June 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-off

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Afghanistan will play their home matches in the United Arab Emirates and Iran due to security concerns from the War in Afghanistan.[9]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The fixtures between Japan and Singapore were switched due to the Singapore National Stadium being booked on 16 June 2015 to host the closing ceremony of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[10]
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Syria will play their home matches in Iran due to security concerns from the Syrian Civil War.[9]
  4. ↑ The Thailand v Vietnam match was brought forward from 11 June 2015 as it interfered with commitments for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[11]
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Iraq will play their home matches in Iran due to security concerns from the Iraqi insurgency.[9]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Yemen will play their home matches in Qatar due to security concerns from the Yemeni Civil War.

References

  1. ↑ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 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.
  3. ↑ "Draw date set for Round 2 of 2018 World Cup, 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers". AFC. 26 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Draw: 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Preliminary Qualification Round 2". AFC. 15 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "FIFA Men's Ranking – April 2015 (AFC)". FIFA.com. 8 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Draw for Russia 2018, UAE 2019 Round 2 qualifiers looms large". AFC. 13 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com.
  8. ↑ "Perth to host Socceroos' first home World Cup qualifier". footballaustralia.com. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Crisis-Hit Countries Can Play World Cup Qualifiers in Iran". persianfootball.com. 29 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Japan, Singapore approve swapping venues for World Cup qualifiers". The Japan Times. April 24, 2015.
  11. ↑ "FIFA reschedules Vietnam, Thailand match". Dantri International. 28 April 2015.

External links