2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Third Round

Last updated

The third round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 1 September 2016 to 5 September 2017. [1]

Contents

Format

A total of twelve teams which advanced from the second round (the eight group winners and the four best group runners-up) were divided into two groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the two third-placed teams advanced to the fourth round.

Qualified teams

Group
(Second round)
WinnersRunners-up (Best 4)
A Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
B Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
C Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
D Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
E Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
F Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
G Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
H Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan

Seeding

The draw for the third round was held on 12 April 2016, at 16:30 MST (UTC+8), at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [2] [3]

The seeding were based on the FIFA World Rankings of April 2016 (shown in parentheses below). [4] The twelve teams were seeded into six pots: [5]

Each group contained one team from each of the six pots. The fixtures of each group were automatically decided based on the respective pot of each team.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the World Cup. Italicised teams qualified for the fourth round.

Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3
  1. Flag of Iran.svg  Iran (42)
  2. Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia (50)
  1. Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea (56)
  2. Flag of Japan.svg  Japan (57)
  1. Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia (60)
  2. Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan (66)
Pot 4Pot 5Pot 6
  1. Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar (83)
  2. Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq (105)
  1. Flag of Syria.svg  Syria (110)
  2. Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand (119)

Groups

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): [6]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Iran.svgFlag of South Korea.svgFlag of Syria.svgFlag of Uzbekistan.svgFlag of the People's Republic of China.svgFlag of Qatar.svg
1Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 10640102+822Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 1–0 2–2 2–0 1–0 2–0
2Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 104331110+115 0–0 1–0 2–1 3–2 3–2
3Flag of Syria.svg  Syria 1034398+113Advance to fourth round 0–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 3–1
4Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 1041567113 0–1 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0
5Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 10334810212 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–0
6Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 1021781577 0–1 3–2 1–0 0–1 1–2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg3–2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg1–0Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 29,100
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Iran  Flag of Iran.svg2–0Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 78,000
Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg0–0Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Syria  Flag of Syria.svg0–0Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Qatar  Flag of Qatar.svg0–1Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Attendance: 7,898
Referee: Ali Abdulnabi (Bahrain)

South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg3–2Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg0–1Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'an
Attendance: 37,368
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg0–1Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 34,000
Referee: Ben Williams (Australia)

Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg2–0Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Iran  Flag of Iran.svg1–0Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 75,800
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Qatar  Flag of Qatar.svg1–0Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Attendance: 9,940
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg2–1Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg0–0Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Syria  Flag of Syria.svg0–0Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg1–0Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Helong Stadium, Changsha
Attendance: 30,950
Referee: Peter Green (Australia)
Qatar  Flag of Qatar.svg0–1Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Attendance: 10,237
Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg1–0Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul
Attendance: 30,352
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
Iran  Flag of Iran.svg1–0Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 78,115
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg1–0Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Iran  Flag of Iran.svg2–0Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 59,730
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Syria  Flag of Syria.svg2–2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Qatar  Flag of Qatar.svg3–2Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg1–0Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg0–0Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul
Attendance: 63,124
Referee: Peter Green (Australia)
Syria  Flag of Syria.svg3–1Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Qatar  Flag of Qatar.svg1–2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Khalifa International Stadium, Doha
Attendance: 5,686
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Iran  Flag of Iran.svg2–2Flag of Syria.svg  Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Attendance: 62,165
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg0–0Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 34,000
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Japan.svgFlag of Saudi Arabia.svgFlag of Australia (converted).svgFlag of the United Arab Emirates.svgFlag of Iraq.svgFlag of Thailand.svg
1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 10622177+1020Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 2–1 2–0 1–2 2–1 4–0
2Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 106131710+719 1–0 2–2 3–0 1–0 1–0
3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 105411611+519Advance to fourth round 1–1 3–2 2–0 2–0 2–1
4Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 104151013313 0–2 2–1 0–1 2–0 3–1
5Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq 103251112111 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 4–0
6Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 10028624182 0–2 0–3 2–2 1–1 1–2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg2–0Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Perth Oval, Perth
Attendance: 18,923
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Japan  Flag of Japan.svg1–2Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg1–0Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 40,983
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Iraq  Flag of Iraq.svg1–2Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svg0–2Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 44,500
Referee: Mohsen Torky (Iran)
United Arab Emirates  Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg0–1Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Japan  Flag of Japan.svg2–1Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
Attendance: 57,768
Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)
United Arab Emirates  Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg3–1Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg2–2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg1–1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Docklands Stadium, Melbourne
Attendance: 48,460
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)
Iraq  Flag of Iraq.svg4–0Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Tehran (Iran) [note 3]
Attendance: 2,255
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg3–0Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Japan  Flag of Japan.svg2–1Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
Attendance: 58,420
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svg2–2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 36,534
Referee: Fahad Al-Marri (Qatar)
United Arab Emirates  Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg2–0Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Attendance: 14,583
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Iraq  Flag of Iraq.svg1–1Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svg0–3Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 41,613
Referee: Ali Abdulnabi (Bahrain)
United Arab Emirates  Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg0–2Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg2–0Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 27,328
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Japan  Flag of Japan.svg4–0Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
Attendance: 59,003
Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea)
Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg1–0Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg3–2Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Attendance: 29,785
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svg1–1Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 24,417
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) [10]
Iraq  Flag of Iraq.svg1–1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

United Arab Emirates  Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg2–1Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Al-Abed Soccerball shade.svg20' (pen.)
Japan  Flag of Japan.svg2–0Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
Attendance: 59,492
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svg1–2Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Attendance: 22,604
Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg2–1Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Iraq  Flag of Iraq.svg1–0Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg1–0Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Goalscorers

There were 129 goals scored in 60 matches, for an average of 2.15 goals per match.

5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Syria played their home matches outside Syria due to security concerns from the Syrian Civil War.
  2. The kickoff of the Syria v Iran match was originally at 20:00 local time but was delayed by 45 minutes due to heavy rain. [7]
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Iraq played their home matches in Iran due to security concerns from the Iraqi Civil War. However, due to Saudi Arabia's refusal to play in Iran after the attack on their diplomatic missions in Iran, the first match was played in Malaysia. [8] Also, due to United Arab Emirates' refusal to play in Iran after the diplomatic crisis in Qatar, the final match was played in Jordan.
  4. The Australia v Saudi Arabia match was brought forward from 13 June 2017 due to Australia's participation in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. [9]

Related Research Articles

The AFC Third Round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification was decided by a random draw which was conducted in Durban, South Africa on 25 November 2007. The round began on 6 February 2008 and finished on 22 June 2008.

The AFC Fourth Round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification was decided by a random draw conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27 June 2008. The round commenced on 6 September 2008, and finished on 17 June 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran national football team results (2010–2019)</span> Wikimedia list article

This is a list of official football games played by Iran national football team between 2010 and 2019.

This page provides the summaries of the AFC Third Round matches for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.

This page provides the summaries of the AFC Fourth Round matches for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams.

The group stage of the 2013 AFC Champions League was played from 26 February to 1 May 2013. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage.

This is a record of Iraq's results at the AFC Asian Cup. Iraq have appeared in the finals of the AFC Asian Cup on 9 occasions in 1972 to 1976, 1996 to 2019. Their best ever performance is a champions in the 2007 tournament held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam respectively.

The 2015 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 24 February to 6 May 2015. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2015 AFC Champions League.

The 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off was played from 4 to 17 February 2015. A total of 25 teams competed in the qualifying play-off to decide eight of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2015 AFC Champions League.

The second round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 24 May 2015 to 29 March 2016.

The 2016 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 23 February to 4 May 2016. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League.

The 2016 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 17 May to 26 November 2016. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2016 AFC Champions League.

The 2017 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 20 February to 10 May 2017. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2017 AFC Champions League.

The 2016–17 season was Zob Ahan Football Club's 16th season in the Iran Pro League, and their 21st consecutive season in the top division of Iranian football. They also competed in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League, and had their 46nd year in existence as a football club.

This article details the fixtures and results of the Thailand national football team in 2013.

The 2019 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 18 June to 24 November 2019. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

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.

The third round of AFC matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 2 September 2021 to 29 March 2022.

The 2021 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 14 to 30 April 2021 for the West Region and from 22 June to 11 July 2021 for the East Region. A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2021 AFC Champions League.

References

  1. "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
  2. "2018 FIFA World Cup: Asian Qualifying Round 3 line up complete". Asian Football Confederation. 30 March 2016.
  3. "Stage set for Russia 2018 Asian Qualifiers Final Round draw". Asian Football Confederation. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016.
  4. "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – April 2016 (AFC)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  5. "Iran remain No. 1 in Asia, Australia the big movers". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  6. "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
  7. "Iran hold by Syria in FIFA World Cup qualifier". Tehran Times. 15 November 2016.
  8. "AFC deny Iraq's demand to play Saudi Arabia in Iran". Goal.com. 29 April 2016.
  9. "Australia, Japan to go head-to-head following Asian draw". FIFA.com. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
  10. "Football: FIFA replaces Qatari referee for UAE World Cup qualifier; Singaporean steps in". Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.