What if Australia finish in the top 3?

I remember reading an article which stated that only the winners of the challenger cup 2014 get automatic qualification. The winners of the 2012 challenger cup do not qualify automatically.

So, that takes care of one spot. Australia of course qualify as hosts. That leaves the top 3 spots of this Asian Cup. Assuming Australia are in one of the top 3 spots, all 4 semifinalists will qualify.

Case 1, Australia are in top 3 spots. Lets say that they are losing semifinalists. So, number of teams directly qualified for the AC 2015 are Australia + 3 other semifinalists + Challenger Cup winners. Leaving 11 spots.

I guess, that can be settled by having 5 groups of 4 teams with top 2 qualifying and 1 group of 3 teams, in which only the team on top qualifies.

Case 2, Australia is not in the top 3 spots. Suppose they don't make it to the semi-finals in this version of the AC. Nothing really changes for the 2015 AC qualification. Just that the 3rd-4th place match in the current Asian Cup is suddenly a lot more important.

 

4th placed team will qualify instead. Simple !

 

If Australia finishes in the top 3, the Australian FA, as hosts, will get the special privilage to invite a national team of their choice. Australia, being the ass they are, will invite Federated States of Micronesia over the much popular, and much more deserving French Polynesia.

 

Curse you, Wikileaks!

 

Are you serious? Would the invitee have to be from Asia?

 

I think he's joking.

 

No, we want New Zealand (for the Koreans, that was a joke too!)

 

I really don't get why the winner, runner-up, and third place team clinch qualification...

 

woohoo so Uzbekistan, South Korea, Japan all clinch qualification to 2015.

Great, no cancelling friendlies with Italy & Portugal in FWC warm-ups to honor ACQ fixtures with Hong Kong & Bahrain on FIFA Matchdays.

 

You still need to finish top 3 to clinch a spot. If Australia finishes third or higher, the fourth placed team will not get a spot.

@AKITOD I'm pretty sure holding the tournament during January had some part in the cancelled friendlies.

 

It was clarified today that only the top 3 spots will automatically be qualified, even if it includes Australia (the host country).

If Australia beats Uzbekistan, the loser of the 3rd place game will not have an automatic spot in the 2015 AC in Australia.

The only way for Uzbekistan, South Korea, and Japan to all have automatic qualification in Australia would be for Australia to come in 4th this year.

 

That would skew the qualification setup quite a lot.

 

I think the top four should automatically qualify to 2015, now that the host nation (Australia) are amongst them.

The AFC Challenge Cup has suddenly gotten a lot more exciting for its participating teams.

I'd like to see both India and Pakistan qualifying to the next Asian Cup.

 

What one has to realise is that the qualification process is already confused by the draw for the 2012 Challenge Cup.

The AFC currently has 46 Nations, of which Brunei remain suspended. North Mariana are potentially the 47th member, but currently have only associate status.

20 Countries are entered into the 2012 Challenge Cup - four will be knocked out in play offs next month, and the number is then reduced to 8 by four groups of four playing single venue tournaments in March. The venue for the finals will be chosen from the 8 (that gives about a year of notice, quite acceptable for a tournament where no building work is expected, and only two stadiums are required.

As an aside, after the last two were in India and Sri Lanka, can we hope that a Central Asian country, such as Turkmenistan or Tajikistan is given a chance?

Looking at the draw, one assumes that Guam and East Timor are not entered, so that leaves 23 countries either in the Challenge Cup or not entered.

Which also leaves 23 for the 2015 Asian Cup - either 19 countries bidding for 10 slots, or 20 bidding for 11.

Will there be a number of clubs again bidding for a place on two fronts, both via the Challenge Cup and the Asian Cup Qualifiers? Will the 2012 Challenge Cup winners, like India after 2008 then withdraw from the Asian Cup qualification, leaving them a team short?

of course, back in 2008, there were originally four teams - India, Myanmar, Turkmenistam and North Korea entered into both the Challenge Cup, and the qualification for 2011. The latter three withdrew before the Asian Cup draw and appear airbrushed from AFC records. Inida only withdrew after winning in 2008.

This still meant one play off before the group stages, with the Maldives as the unfortunate team. The Maldives then played in the 2010 Challenge Cup, as one of the qualifying group hosts, (although beaten by Turkmenistan)

 

I think it's safe to say the Aussies will finish in the top 3.