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AFP
Kuala Lumpur
North and South Korea will face off in politically-charged World Cup qualifiers after being drawn in the same group Wednesday, while arch-rivals Iran and Iraq will also meet.
Heavyweights Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Saudi Arabia – who all played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia – were drawn in different groups for the Asian qualifiers of the 2022 edition of the tournament in Qatar.
China, who are seeking to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time, look to have a promising fixture against lower-ranked opponents including war-torn Syria and tiny Guam.
The country and its 73rd-ranked team have grand ambitions to host and win a World Cup under football-fan President Xi Jinping.
South Korea is one of Asia’s best sides and should easily beat the North, but the matches between the neighbours on the divided Korean peninsula promise to be bitter.
Sides play each other twice during the qualifiers, which run from September to June.
Qatar, who will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, were drawn in Group E alongside Bangladesh, Oman, India and Afghanistan in their bid to defend the AFC Asian Cup they won in spectacular fashion in the UAE last February.
Group G had a distinct Southeast Asian flavour as ASEAN rivals Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were all drawn together, with the UAE completing the cast.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
However, should Qatar win their group, the seven other group winners and five best second-placed sides will advance to the final round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the second round of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining 12 slots in the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023.
After the draw at the Asian football body’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, South Korea coach Paulo Bento insisted that facing the North was “nothing special”.
“For us it is a sport – the goal is to qualify,” he told AFP.
“The message I will share with the players when we play against North Korea is to give them the same respect we will have for any other teams we will play against.”
Sporting ties played a role in a diplomatic thaw on and around the peninsula last year, when the two Koreas formed their first-ever unified Olympic team for the 2018 Winter Games. But those endeavours stagnated with the wider deadlock in negotiations over the North’s nuclear arsenal.
Iran and Iraq will renew one of football’s great rivalries after being drawn in the same group.
The teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the winners of the eight groups and four runners-up progressing to a final round of qualifying. (Inputs AFC.com)
Kuala Lumpur
North and South Korea will face off in politically-charged World Cup qualifiers after being drawn in the same group Wednesday, while arch-rivals Iran and Iraq will also meet.
Heavyweights Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Saudi Arabia – who all played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia – were drawn in different groups for the Asian qualifiers of the 2022 edition of the tournament in Qatar.
China, who are seeking to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time, look to have a promising fixture against lower-ranked opponents including war-torn Syria and tiny Guam.
The country and its 73rd-ranked team have grand ambitions to host and win a World Cup under football-fan President Xi Jinping.
South Korea is one of Asia’s best sides and should easily beat the North, but the matches between the neighbours on the divided Korean peninsula promise to be bitter.
Sides play each other twice during the qualifiers, which run from September to June.
Qatar, who will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, were drawn in Group E alongside Bangladesh, Oman, India and Afghanistan in their bid to defend the AFC Asian Cup they won in spectacular fashion in the UAE last February.
Group G had a distinct Southeast Asian flavour as ASEAN rivals Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were all drawn together, with the UAE completing the cast.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
However, should Qatar win their group, the seven other group winners and five best second-placed sides will advance to the final round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the second round of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining 12 slots in the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023.
After the draw at the Asian football body’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, South Korea coach Paulo Bento insisted that facing the North was “nothing special”.
“For us it is a sport – the goal is to qualify,” he told AFP.
“The message I will share with the players when we play against North Korea is to give them the same respect we will have for any other teams we will play against.”
Sporting ties played a role in a diplomatic thaw on and around the peninsula last year, when the two Koreas formed their first-ever unified Olympic team for the 2018 Winter Games. But those endeavours stagnated with the wider deadlock in negotiations over the North’s nuclear arsenal.
Iran and Iraq will renew one of football’s great rivalries after being drawn in the same group.
The teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the winners of the eight groups and four runners-up progressing to a final round of qualifying. (Inputs AFC.com)
