The 4th place Concacaf team will likely be Honduras or Panama. I'm not sure if an afc team outside of the top 4 can beat them over two legs. The hostility in Central America is something no afc team has experienced before.
Maybe someone can explain how the Asian Cup playoff round will work. They need to get 8 more teams for the 3rd round of Asian Cup qualification but they only list 11 teams. At first I was thinking they would add 5 more teams from the teams that were eliminated in the first round of WC qualifying. That way they would have 16 teams and the easiest format would be four groups of four play round robin with the top two advancing from each group. Seems simple enough. But the way they have it listed it seems like they'll have 2 rounds of straight knockout home/away matches. The problem with that is how do you get eight teams from two straight knockout rounds of 11 or even 16 teams? In that case just one knockout round of 16 teams would only be necessary. This is too complicated for someone like me. Qualified teams[edit] Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia Chinese Taipei India Laos Malaysia Maldives Tajikistan Timor-Leste Yemen Round One[edit] Date: 2 and 7 June 2016. Teams: To be determined. Round Two[edit] Date: 6 September and 11 October 2016. Teams: To be determined.
Prognosis Generated ranking for Nth times. Wanted to make sure. 1. Iran 672 2. Australia 601 3. South Korea 579 4. Japan 577 5. Saudi Arabia 559 6. Uzbekistan 549 7. UAE 521 8. China 423 10. Qatar 416 13. Iraq 333 14. Syria 316 17. Thailand 297 ************************** 9. Jordan 418 11. Oman 346 12. Kyrgyzstan 340 15. N.Korea 314 16. Philippines 300 18. Kuwait 284 19. Turkmenistan 277 20. Palestine 273 21. Bahrain 271 22. Hong Kong 234 23. Vietnam 228 24. Afghanistan 210 25. Singapore 202 . . . 30.Lebanon 176 According to Fifa ranking It should be Jordan, Oman and Kyrgyzstan to advance to the next level instead of Iraq, Syria and Thailand. In Thailand's case even North Korea and Philippines are supposed to replace it.
My first bit of advice would be to avoid wikipedia. They don't know anything - I mean, even I can edit wikipedia. The figure "16" was first given last week (up until then it had only been "12", but that was a year ago). The 16 could just be a typo - or an error. Maybe it should be more. Effectively you have: 11 teams from round 2 (the ones lists) + up to 6 first round losers + Indonesia (although they are still suspended - but then, so are Kuwait) + Northern Mariana Islands (couldn't enter the WCQs but can enter the ACQs - this would be a nice way to get them back in) So, up to 19 teams - but I would be surprised if Indonesia are allowed and pleasantly surprised if NMI enter. My (completely uneducated) guess is that the 6 teams from round 1 are allowed back in. I think playoff round 1 will only occur if they need to cut back down to 16 teams and that Playoff Round 2 will have up to 8 ties to back the 16 (or maybe fewer) back to 8. J
Fifa Ranking of Asian Big 4 for past (4 years and 18 years respectively) CONCACAF Big two and two middle weights (past 4 years and 18 years ranking) Asian 4 middle weights in past 10 years ranking Uzbekistan , Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Honduras for past 10 years Iran, Japan, USA, Mexico for past 10 years Australia, South Korea, USA, and Mexico for past 10 years. Watching all these charts, you may conclude only top 4 Asian teams can pass top 3 CONCACAF in knock out stage. 5th and 6th Asian teams both seems weaker than 3rd CONCACAF (Costa Rica) but apparently have the same chance with 4th team (Honduras) atm, although Honduras shows more depth and consistency.
Ok I agree with you on the first part but I'm surprised that the AFC seems to be making this up as they go along. They're the ones that came up with the idea and Indonesia has been suspended since matchday 1 so how is it possible that there's still no word about how the playoff will work? I consider the AFC one of the better run and organized confederations within FIFA but in this instance it seems like they pulled a page from the CONCACAF or CONMEBOL playbook.
The AFC competition calendar says there are 24 teams in ACQ (six groups of four). http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2017.pdf EDIT: what are you asking?
Seven progress to complete Asia's last-12 line-up (FIFA.com) 29 Mar 2016 The line-up of Asia’s third qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ was complete with the remaining seven slots filled on Tuesday’s closing matchday of the second round. While Australia, Iran and Uzbekistan all prevailed to progress as group winners, Syria, Iraq, China PR and United Arab Emirates finished as the four best runners-up to join the already-qualified Qatar, Korea Republic, Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia in the next phase. The draw for the next round will take place on 12 April in Kuala Lumpur. With the competition also serving as the qualifying for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates, these teams received added reward with qualification to the continental finals. Despite elimination from FIFA World Cup qualifying, though, the rest of the sides all made it to AFC Asian Cup qualifying. The next top-sixteen finishers, including the four remaining runners-up, progress to the third qualifying round to UAE 2019, while even the rest of the teams had their own share of joy by featuring in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying play-off round. Join FIFA.com as we review all of the exciting action across the continent. The match Philippines 3-2 Korea DPR Goals: Misagh Bahadoran 43, Manuel Ott 84, Iain Ramsay 90; So Kyong Jin 45+2, Ri Hyok Chol 48 Philippines from Group H, under American Thomas Dooley, produced one of the matchday's biggest surprises by overcoming South Africa 2010 finalists Korea DPR 3-2, fulfilling the former USA captain's promise of defeating the Chollima at home. In what proved to be a seesaw-battle, the hosts, who came away with an unlikely goalless draw in Pyongyang, came from behind to see off a side 44 places above them in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. While the result did little to help the Razkals’ qualification, it did contribute in shattering the visitors' hopes of a place in the last 12. Desperately needing points to secure progression, Korea DPR pressed hard from the outset. It was, however, the home side that took the lead in surprising fashion, Misagh Bahadoran heading home to complete a move initiated by Javier Patino two minutes from the break. So Kyong-Jin soon drew the scoreline level before Ri Hyok-Chol put the visitors ahead shortly after the restart. The game looking destined for victory in the visitors’ favour, however, the home side staged a strong comeback with a two quick-fire goals from Manuel Ott and Iain Ramsay sealing a memorable victory for the tournament debutants. In another match in the group, having seen their progression confirmed by Korea DPR's loss, Uzbekistan went on to win 1-0 over Bahrain at home. The other attractions With Saudi Arabia qualified as winners of the pool, all focus in Group A was on United Arab Emirates. After both Jordan and Korea DPR lost respectively, the job by the 2019 AFC Asian Cup hosts became easy as they could progress on goal difference even with a home loss. As it turned out, Omar Abdulrahman cancelled out Taisir Al Jassim's early strike as UAE played out a 1-1 stalemate against the Saudis, a result which proved more than enough to seal their progression. Another game saw Palestine finish on a high, firing seven unanswered goals past Timor-Leste at home. Robbie Kruse provided three assists as Group B winners Australia rounded off their second round campaign with an emphatic 5-1 home defeat of Jordan. The victory saw Ange Postecoglou's Socceroos progress as clear section winners and left the visitors in contention for one of the four best-runners-up spots. With the other concerning results unfolding, though, the Jordanians were left bemoaning their lack of luck as they narrowly missed out on a place in the next round by trailing both China and UAE by just a point in the runners-up standings. In Group C, China surprised even their own supporters by sealing their return to Asia's final qualifying round by finishing among the four best runners-up with a 2-0 home triumph against qualified Qatar. Huang Bowen broke the deadlock on 57 minutes before Wu Lei sealed the three points two minutes from time as Gao Hongbo's side avenged their 1-0 loss to the same opponents. And Team Dragon's progression was confirmed with fellow runners-up contenders Jordan, Korea DPR and Oman all losing out. Maldives came from 2-1 down to score three late goals to defeat Bhutan 4-2 in the group's other match. Iran won Group D as expected after defeating Oman 2-0 at home. Forward prodigy Sardar Azmoun scored twice in the space of seven minutes midway through the first half as the Team Melli ran out deserved winners. The other game saw Turkmenistan come from behind to win 2-1 away against India. It proved one-way traffic for Group E's qualified Japan, who crushed Syria 5-0 at home. In a match the Samurai Blue dominated throughout, Shinji Kagawa scored twice as the Japanese showed the visitors no mercy. Despite the loss, the Syrians made it to the next phase courtesy of their previous results which earned them a strong runners-up finish. In the other game, with a third-place finish already secured, Singapore lost to Afghanistan 2-1 away as their German manager Bernd Stange saw his three-year tenure end in disappointing fashion. In Group F, young striker Mohannad Abdul-Raheem netted the only goal against Vietnam as Iraq sealed the much-needed three points to qualify as one of the best runners-up teams. It proved to be, though, a disappointing ending for Group G's Lebanon, who saw their slim hopes evaporate after being held to a 1-1 draw by Myanmar at home. The player A day after this day in 2004, at Loftus Road in London, Tim Cahill made his debut in a friendly against South Africa. Twevle years on, the 36-year-old Socceroos top-scorer, who played just 23 minutes as a substitute in Australia's 2-0 loss away, completed a brace as his side avenged that defeat. In what marked his 89th international appearance, the former Everton marksman latched on to Robbie Kruse' pinpoint cross to open the scoring, before making it 3-0 with a trademark header before the break to extend his national team scoring tally to 47 and set the hosts on the road to a convincing victory. Did you know? Tehran stood out among the matchday's venue cities with three matches staged in Iran's capital. While Team Melli entertained Oman at the Azadi Stadium, Iraq and Afghanistan welcomed Vietnam and Singapore in the city's PAS Stadium and Takhti Stadium respectively. What they said "I should thank my players as well the coaching staff for the victory (against Qatar). We had just 19 days to prepare the last two games but the whole team did well in achieving our goal. We also owe thanks to our clubs where the players have made good progress and development," China interim coach Gao Hongbo Closing matchday results 29 March Group AUnited Arab Emirates 1-1 Saudi Arabia Palestine 7-0 Timor-Leste Group BAustralia 5-1 Jordan Tajikistan 0-1 Kyrgyzstan Group CChina PR 2-0 Qatar Maldives 4-2 Bhutan Group DIran 2-0 Oman India 1-2 Turkmenistan Group EJapan 5-0 Syria Afghanistan 2-1 Singapore Group FIraq 1-0 Vietnam Group GLebanon 1-1 Myanmar Group HUzbekistan 1-0 Bahrain Philippines 3-2 Korea DPR
This AFC Cup Qualification stage should have contained all teams beside those 12 qualified for last WCQ stage. 32-35 teams (two currently suspended - IDN and KUW, one that didn't take part in WCQ - NMI) could have been split into 8 groups of 5/4 teams. Group stage winners (8) qualify, runners-up (8) go to playoff for last four berths (8>4). There's plenty of time to schedule it all, it would be great for all teams concerned, the more [games] the merrier. Shame.
International FootballStriker received with full honours at the airport Patiño, China's accidental hero China making it into the final round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup has finally given the country's long-suffering fans something to shout about. Fifteen years have passed since China were last amongst the twelve countries taking part in this final qualifying round. That was when they made it into their first and only World Cup finals in 2002. Everything now seems very different as the Asian giants look to book their place at the 2018 Russia World Cup. Just one day after qualifying, the country's media and football fans found themselves a new national hero. China qualified on the back of a home win against Qatar and another three results going their way. Two of those results were expected: Australia taking all three points at home to Jordan and Oman failing to beat Iraq by five or more clear goals. The miracle came courtesy of two late goals (84th and 90th minutes) which gave the Philippines an unexpected home win over North Korea (3-2). A new 'Chinese' hero emerged from that game: Spanish-born Philippines striker Javi Patiño. The Madrid-born forward, who currently plays his football at Henan Jianye and is the only Spaniard in the Chinese Super League, appears to be owed a huge debt of gratitude by an entire nation. As a China-based player, the local populace sees him as the personification of the Philippines team whose feat made Team Dragon's qualification possible. The nation's media have echoed the new Chinese hero's impressive performance and publicly thanked 'Haweier' for his services. http://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2016/03/30/56fc424de2704eb8378b4616.html Philippine Man of the Match Awardee Javier Patino mobbed at the airport in China by grateful fans.
PFF pres Nonong Araneta said Chinese FA has sent congratulatory letter to Philippine Football Federation for win over DPR Korea. apparently in gratitude for helping China move on to the 3rd rd of WC qualifying.
In the old days, China would easily fix their matches against Hong Kong. I remember back in 2004, they needed like 7 or 8 goals against Hong Kong, to advance over Kuwait and they got that easily, yet Kuwait somehow managed to score like a ridiculous amount of goals against Malasyia and come on top at the very end. Both matches were obviously fixed, but Kuwait got the better fix. But this time around , ironically, the same Hong Kong almost cost China the qualification and I was actually surprised by that. I was expecting a repeat of 2004. If China had not advanced, it would have actually been because of Hong Kong.
Gucci got married yesterday. Koreans and Qataris should really hope that they don't get grouped with Iran so that they don't Guccied again. It's gonna be deja-vu, all over again
Actually the Chinese FA gesture is politically significant since both countries are not in good terms right now because of territorial disputes in the South China sea. It seems that this win has broken the ice in the hostile propaganda directed at the Philippines by China. They even burned a few banana shipments to China recently to show their displeasure. Here is a quote from the Wall Street Journal: The dramatic resuscitation of China’s ailing World Cup campaign has left fans unusually grateful for the help from some “hostile foreign forces.” For China, its tense 2-0 win over Qatar on Tuesday wasn’t enough to avoid early elimination. The team also needed big favors from others, and the biggest of all came from a smaller neighbor often seen by Beijing as a geopolitical pest: the Philippines. Others hailed the Filipino favor as a rare olive branch from Manila, an outspoken challenger of Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea. “Their president often tussles with China over islands and reefs in the South China Sea, annoying China to no end,” Liu Zhuming, a current-affairs columnist, wrote on his verified microblog. But “within the context of China’s arduous progression into the next qualifying round, the Philippines can be considered a ‘true friend.’” For now, many Chinese fans are simply relieved after Tuesday’s turn of fortunes, enough to indulge in satirical references to geopolitical tensions. A meme that circulated on China's social networks after Tuesday's victories. It reads: 'The friendship between China and the Philippines, forged with (Korean) blood, cannot be broken!' Photo: Weibo.com In a social media post that went viral, China was depicted as using diplomatic horse-trading to influence games in its favor. In the post, the Philippines tells China, “We’ll do our best, big brother,” to which China replies, “We’ll take all of your banana harvest next year!!!” China has in the past imposed curbs on banana imports from the Philippines, a move many Filipinos perceive as a ploy for gaining leverage in bilateral territorial disputes. This week, authorities in China’s southern city of Shenzhen destroyed nearly 35 tons of bananas from the Philippines, saying they contained excessive pesticide residue. Another popular meme involved a Communist Party-style propaganda poster depicting solidarity between Beijing and Manila. It read, “The friendship between China and the Philippines, forged with (Korean) blood, cannot be broken!” –Chun Han Wong. Follow him on Twitter @bychunhan. From the Wall Street Journal blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/03/30/chinese-fans-hail-the-philippines-as-true-friend-for-smoothing-world-cup-path/ Above comments about Korean blood is kind of ironic. The Philippines fought on the side of S Korea against China and N Korea in the Korean War. They were also considered a pest back then by the Chinese, because they refused to give ground during skirmishes despite UN forces withdrawing on either side. Just like today. While most of SEA has bowed to Chinese economic and political pressure, the Philippines single handedly decided to take China to court at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague despite Chinese threats. I guess we are just a stubborn lot.
But, former Iranian third GK, Sosha Makani has a taste for special girls!... post operation transgirls?
Please no. I do not want we play against your team. I am not scared of your team at all. I just want to play all of our home games in Iran. I am sure Saudi Arabia federation, media, and government do not welcome your preferred draw. They welcome my idea which is having our teams in two separate groups.
Well our Filipino-Iranian player/dentist Misagh Bahadoran(our leading goalscorer in the WC qualifiers) is currently dating this Filipina actress/model who was rated by British magazine FHM among the sexiest women in the world in 2011 and 2012. and was also rumored to have dated in the past the current Miss Universe Filipina Pia Wurtzbach