2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Third round

The qualification structure was as follows:{{cite web|url=http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/preliminarydraw/02/66/71/02/asia_drawprocedures_neutral.pdf|title=Draw Procedures – Asian Zone|publisher=FIFA.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724211212/http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/preliminarydraw/02/66/71/02/asia_drawprocedures_neutral.pdf|archive-date=24 July 2015|df=dmy-all}}

• First round: 12 teams (ranked 35–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round.
• Second round: 40 teams (ranked 1–34 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.
• Third round: 12 teams (an increase from ten for 2014) which had advanced from the second round 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.
• Fourth round: Two third-placed teams of each group from the third round played home-and-away over two legs. The winners advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The 46 FIFA-affiliated nations from the AFC entered qualification.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/news/newsid=2507253/index.html |title=Road to Russia with new milestone |publisher=FIFA.com |date=15 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122200953/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/news/newsid%3D2507253/index.html |archive-date=22 January 2015 |df=dmy-all }} In order to determine which nations would compete in the first round and which nations would receive a bye through to the second round, the FIFA World Rankings of January 2015 were used (shown in parentheses), as those were the latest published rankings prior to the first round draw. The FIFA Rankings of January 2015 were also used for seeding of the first round draw; however, for seeding in the second round and third round draws, the most recent FIFA Rankings prior to those draws were used.

This was the first effective participation of Bhutan, the country registered for the qualifications of 2010 but withdrew without playing a game (initially drawn against Kuwait in the first round).

The schedule of the competition was as follows.{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2015.pdf|publisher=AFC|title=AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015|format=PDF|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426001101/http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2015.pdf|archive-date=26 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2016.pdf|publisher=AFC|title=AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016|format=PDF|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331050008/http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2016.pdf|archive-date=31 March 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2017.pdf|publisher=AFC|title=AFC Calendar of Competitions 2017|format=PDF|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410021447/http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_competitions_calendar_2017.pdf|archive-date=10 April 2017|df=dmy-all}}

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{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round}}

The draw for the first round was held on 10 February 2015, 15:30 MST (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.{{cite web |url=http://www.the-afc.com/2018-world-cup-asian-cup-2015/india-v-nepal-headlines-2018-world-cup-2019-asian-cup-qualifiers-draw |title=India v Nepal headlines 2018 World Cup, 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers draw |publisher=AFC |date=10 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304005901/http://www.the-afc.com/2018-world-cup-asian-cup-2015/india-v-nepal-headlines-2018-world-cup-2019-asian-cup-qualifiers-draw |archive-date=4 March 2015 |df=dmy-all }}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round}}

{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/asian-cup-2019-2018-world-cup/draw-date-set-for-round-2-of-2018-world-cup-2019-asian-cup-qualifiers|title=Draw date set for Round 2 of 2018 World Cup, 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers|publisher=AFC|date=26 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306170121/http://www.the-afc.com/asian-cup-2019-2018-world-cup/draw-date-set-for-round-2-of-2018-world-cup-2019-asian-cup-qualifiers|archive-date=6 March 2015|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |url=http://www.the-afc.com/asian-cup-2019-2018-world-cup/draw-russia-2018-uae-2019-joint-qualification-round-2 |title=Draw: Russia 2018 / UAE 2019 Joint Qualification Round 2 |publisher=AFC |date=15 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415182749/http://www.the-afc.com/asian-cup-2019-2018-world-cup/draw-russia-2018-uae-2019-joint-qualification-round-2 |archive-date=15 April 2015 |df=dmy-all }}

{{legend|#BBF3BB|Qualified for the third round and Asian Cup (except United Arab Emirates) as winners or top four runners-up}}

{{legend|#BBF3FF|Advanced to the Third Asian Cup qualifying round as bottom four runners-up, third place, or top four fourth placed team}}

{{legend|#FFFFBB|Advanced to the AFC Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.}}

{{legend|#BBBBBB|Denotes a team that was disqualified as a result of a FIFA suspension.}}

{{notelist|group="Second Round"}}

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group A |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group B |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group C |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group D |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group E |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group F |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group G |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group H |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

To determine the four best runner-up 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. Fair play points
5. Drawing of lots

As a result of Indonesia being disqualified due to 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/determination_of_team_rankings.pdf|title=Criteria to Determine the Rankings of Best-placed Teams among the Groups|publisher=AFC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605115828/http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/determination_of_team_rankings.pdf|archive-date=5 June 2015|df=dmy-all}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Runners-up}}

{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round}}

The third round consisted of two groups of six teams. The first two teams in each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The two third-placed teams proceeded to the fourth round.

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/2018-world-cup/2018-fifa-world-cup-asian-qualifying-round-3-line-up-complete|title=2018 FIFA World Cup: Asian Qualifying Round 3 line up complete|publisher=Asian Football Confederation|date=30 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331231240/http://www.the-afc.com/2018-world-cup/2018-fifa-world-cup-asian-qualifying-round-3-line-up-complete|archive-date=31 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.the-afc.com/2018-world-cup/stage-set-for-russia-2018-asian-qualifiers-final-round-draw|title=Stage set for Russia 2018 Asian qualifiers Final Round draw|publisher=Asian Football Confederation|date=10 April 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412093837/http://www.the-afc.com/2018-world-cup/stage-set-for-russia-2018-asian-qualifiers-final-round-draw|archive-date=12 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group A |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group B |only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules |show_matches=yes}}

{{Main|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round}}

The two third-placed teams in each group from the third round played against each other home-and-away over two legs to determine which team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The order of legs was announced during the draw for the third round.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnSSyfzpAGw|title=Draw Mechanics for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers|publisher=YouTube|date=10 April 2016|quote=Asian play-off: MD1 (1st leg), 5 Oct 2017, A3 vs B3; MD2 (2nd leg), 10 Oct 2017, B3 vs A3. (Displayed in video at 1:40)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117061247/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnSSyfzpAGw|archive-date=17 November 2016|df=dmy-all}} Syria played their home match, as with all their home matches in the third round, in Malaysia due to the war time condition in Syria.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-14/malaysia-to-host-australia-syria-world-cup-qualifier/8944806|title=Australia v Syria World Cup qualifier to be held in Malaysia, AFC confirms|date=14 September 2017|work=ABC News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005084209/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-14/malaysia-to-host-australia-syria-world-cup-qualifier/8944806|archive-date=5 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}

{{:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round}}

{{main article|2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off)}}

The draw for the inter-confederation play-offs was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg.{{cite web | url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=7/news=preliminary-draw-procedures-outlined-2661542.html | title=Preliminary Draw procedures outlined | publisher=fifa.com | date=9 July 2015 | access-date=9 July 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712005248/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y%3D2015/m%3D7/news%3Dpreliminary-draw-procedures-outlined-2661542.html | archive-date=12 July 2015 | df=dmy-all }} The fifth-placed team from AFC was drawn against the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF, with the AFC team hosting the second leg.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=7/news=the-preliminary-draw-results-in-full-2667929.html|title=The Preliminary Draw results in full|publisher=FIFA.com|date=25 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906071029/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y%3D2015/m%3D7/news%3Dthe-preliminary-draw-results-in-full-2667929.html|archive-date=6 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}

{{#lst:2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|playoff1}}

The following five teams from AFC qualified for the final tournament.

:

:

{{Goalscorers

|goals=665 |matches=223

|16 goals=

• {{fbicon|KSA}} Mohammad Al-Sahlawi{{efn-ua|name=goals|This player's goal tally includes one or more goals which the player scored in matches that were subsequently forfeited, but which FIFA still continued to count in its statistics.}}
• {{fbicon|UAE}} Ahmed Khalil

|11 goals=

• {{fbicon|AUS}} Tim Cahill
• {{fbicon|IRN}} Sardar Azmoun{{efn-ua|name=goals}}

|10 goals=

• {{fbicon|SYR|1980}} Omar Kharbin

|9 goals=

• {{fbicon|QAT}} Hassan Al-Haydos
• {{fbicon|UAE}} Ali Mabkhout

|8 goals=

• {{fbicon|CHN}} Yang Xu
• {{fbicon|IRN}} Mehdi Taremi{{efn-ua|name=goals}}

|7 goals=

• {{fbicon|AUS}} Mile Jedinak
• {{fbicon|CHN}} Yu Dabao
• {{fbicon|JPN}} Keisuke Honda
• {{fbicon|KOR}} Son Heung-min

|6 goals=

• {{fbicon|AUS}} Tom Rogic
• {{fbicon|IRQ}} Mohannad Abdul-Raheem
• {{fbicon|JPN}} Shinji Kagawa
• {{fbicon|JOR}} Hamza Al-Dardour
• {{fbicon|KSA}} Taisir Al-Jassim{{efn-ua|name=goals}}
• {{fbicon|SYR|1980}} Mahmoud Al-Mawas
• {{fbicon|TJK}} Manuchekhr Dzhalilov

}}

Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• First round
• Second round
• Third round
• Fourth round

{{div col end}}

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{notelist-ua}}

• 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html|Official FIFA World Cup website}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071118141111/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/index.html Qualifiers – Asia], FIFA.com
• [http://www.the-afc.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/ FIFA World Cup], the-AFC.com
• [http://stats.the-afc.com/tournaments/169 Preliminary Joint Qualification 2018] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209231634/http://stats.the-afc.com/tournaments/169 |date=9 February 2019 }}, stats.the-AFC.com
• [http://stats.the-afc.com/tournaments/186 FIFA World Cup 2018], stats.the-AFC.com

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}

{{2016 in Japanese football}}

Afc

Category:FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Category:2015 in Asian football

Category:2016 in Asian football

Category:2017 in Asian football