2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round

The second round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification) was played from 24 May 2015 to 29 March 2016.[1]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round
Tournament details
Dates11 June 2015 – 29 March 2016
Teams39[note 1] (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played152
Goals scored507 (3.34 per match)
Attendance2,293,258 (15,087 per match)
Top scorer(s)Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Sahlawi
(14 goals)
2014
2022

Format

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A total of forty teams (teams ranked 1–34 in the AFC entrant list 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 as well as qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals.

A total of 24 teams eliminated from World Cup qualification in the second round competed in the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which was separated from the third round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification), where they were divided into six groups of four teams and competed for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams consisted of the sixteen highest ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the eight teams that advanced from the play-off round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification which were contested by the remaining twelve teams eliminated in the second round.[2]


Seeding

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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.[3][4]

The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of April 2015 (shown in parentheses below).[5] The 40 teams were seeded into five pots:[6]

  • Pot 1 contained the teams ranked 1–8.
  • Pot 2 contained the teams ranked 9–16.
  • Pot 3 contained the teams ranked 17–24.
  • Pot 4 contained the teams ranked 25–32.
  • Pot 5 contained the teams ranked 33–40.

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

As the seeding order was based on the most recent FIFA Rankings prior to the draw, it differed from the order in the AFC entrant list, which was based on the FIFA World Rankings of January 2015. Among the six first round winners, three were seeded higher than pot 5 (India in pot 3, Timor-Leste and Bhutan in pot 4), on the basis of ranking points gained from the first round matches, while the other three (Yemen, Cambodia and Chinese Taipei) were seeded in pot 5.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
  1.  Iran (40)
  2.  Japan (50)
  3.  South Korea (57)
  4.  Australia (63)
  5.  United Arab Emirates (68)[note 2]
  6.  Uzbekistan (73)
  7.  China (82)
  8.  Iraq (86)
  1.  Saudi Arabia (95)
  2.  Oman (97)
  3.  Qatar (99)
  4.  Jordan (103)
  5.  Bahrain (108)
  6.  Vietnam (125)
  7.  Syria (126)
  8.  Kuwait (127)
  1.  Afghanistan (135)
  2.  Philippines (139)
  3.  Palestine (140)
  4.  Maldives (141)
  5.  Thailand (142)
  6.  Tajikistan (143)
  7.  Lebanon (144)
  8.  India (147)
Pot 4 Pot 5
  1.  East Timor (152)
  2.  Kyrgyzstan (153)
  3.  North Korea (157)
  4.  Myanmar (158)
  5.  Turkmenistan (159)
  6.  Indonesia (159) (D)
  7.  Singapore (162)
  8.  Bhutan (163)
  1.  Malaysia (164)
  2.  Hong Kong (167)
  3.  Bangladesh (167)
  4.  Yemen (170)
  5.  Guam (175)
  6.  Laos (178)
  7.  Cambodia (179)
  8.  Chinese Taipei (179)
Notes
  • Bolded teams qualified for the third round.
  • (D): Disqualified after draw
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):[7]
  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

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 8 6 2 0 28 4 +24 20 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 2–1 3–2 2–0 7–0[a]
2  United Arab Emirates[b] 8 5 2 1 25 4 +21 17 World Cup qualifying third round 1–1 2–0 10–0 8–0
3  Palestine 8 3 3 2 22 6 +16 12 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–0 0–0 6–0 7–0
4  Malaysia 8 1 1 6 4 29 −25 4 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–3[c] 1–2 0–6 1–1[a]
5  East Timor[a] 8 0 2 6 2 36 −34 2 0–10 0–1[a] 1–1[a] 0–1[a]
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c d e f On 12 December 2017, AFC decided to forfeit the first five matches involving Timor-Leste – both v Malaysia, home v United Arab Emirates, away v Saudi Arbia, and home v Palestine due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
  2. ^ United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.
  3. ^ Match abandoned after 87 minutes due to a group of supporters throwing flares at the pitch. A month later, FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia 3–0 win.[9][10]
Malaysia 1–1
Forfeited[note 3]
 East Timor
  • Safee 34'
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saudi Arabia 3–2 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

East Timor 0–1
Forfeited[note 5]
 United Arab Emirates
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Malaysia 0–6 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

United Arab Emirates 10–0 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saudi Arabia 7–0
Forfeited[note 7]
 East Timor
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 11,000
Referee: Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)

Malaysia 0–3
Awarded[note 8]
 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

East Timor 1–1
Forfeited[note 9]
 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

East Timor 0–1
Forfeited[note 10]
 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Palestine 0–0 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Palestine 6–0 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
United Arab Emirates 8–0 East Timor
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

East Timor 0–10 Saudi Arabia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Alan Milliner (Australia)

United Arab Emirates 2–0 Palestine
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Saudi Arabia 2–0 Malaysia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Palestine 7–0 East Timor
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Australia 8 7 0 1 29 4 +25 21 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 5–1 3–0 7–0 5–0
2  Jordan 8 5 1 2 21 7 +14 16 Asian Cup qualifying third round 2–0 0–0 3–0 8–0
3  Kyrgyzstan 8 4 2 2 10 8 +2 14 1–2 1–0 2–2 2–0
4  Tajikistan 8 1 2 5 9 20 −11 5 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–3 1–3 0–1 5–0
5  Bangladesh 8 0 1 7 2 32 −30 1 0–4 0–4 1–3 1–1
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Bangladesh 1–3 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Tajikistan 1–3 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,000
Referee: Mohsen Torky (Iran)

Bangladesh 1–1 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Lee Min-hu (South Korea)
Kyrgyzstan 1–2 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 18,000

Australia 5–0 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,495
Jordan 0–0 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bangladesh 0–4 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Tajikistan 0–3 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,000

Jordan 2–0 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Kyrgyzstan 2–2 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 17,600

Kyrgyzstan 2–0 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 12,001
Jordan 3–0 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia 3–0 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,412
Tajikistan 5–0 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bangladesh 0–4 Australia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 19,730
Referee: Wang Di (China)
Kyrgyzstan 1–0 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia 7–0 Tajikistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 35,439
Jordan 8–0 Bangladesh
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Australia 5–1 Jordan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Tajikistan 0–1 Kyrgyzstan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,500

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar 8 7 0 1 29 4 +25 21 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 1–0 2–0 4–0 15–0
2  China 8 5 2 1 27 1 +26 17 2–0 0–0 4–0 12–0
3  Hong Kong 8 4 2 2 13 5 +8 14 Asian Cup qualifying third round 2–3 0–0 2–0 7–0
4  Maldives 8 2 0 6 8 20 −12 6 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–1 0–3 0–1 4–2
5  Bhutan 8 0 0 8 5 52 −47 0 0–3 0–6 0–1 3–4
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Hong Kong 7–0 Bhutan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Maldives 0–1 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bhutan 0–6 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Hong Kong 2–0 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,370

China 0–0 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 26,173
Qatar 15–0 Bhutan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Maldives 0–3 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Hong Kong 2–3 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bhutan 3–4 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Qatar 1–0 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bhutan 0–1 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Qatar 4–0 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,006
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Maldives 0–1 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
China 12–0 Bhutan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Bhutan 0–3 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,128
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Hong Kong 0–0 China
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

China 4–0 Maldives
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Qatar 2–0 Hong Kong
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 10,170
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

China 2–0 Qatar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Maldives 4–2 Bhutan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 8 6 2 0 26 3 +23 20 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 2–0 3–1 6–0 4–0
2  Oman 8 4 2 2 11 7 +4 14 Asian Cup qualifying third round 1–1 3–1 1–0 3–0
3  Turkmenistan 8 4 1 3 10 11 −1 13 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–1
4  Guam 8 2 1 5 3 16 −13 7 0–6 0–0 1–0 2–1
5  India 8 1 0 7 5 18 −13 3 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–3[a] 1–2 1–2 1–0
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ FIFA awarded Iran a 3–0 win as a result of India fielding the ineligible player Eugeneson Lyngdoh.[22] The match initially ended 3–0 to Iran.
Guam 1–0 Turkmenistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
India 1–2 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Guam 2–1 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Turkmenistan 1–1 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Iran 6–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 11,232
Oman 3–1 Turkmenistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Guam 0–0 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
India 0–3
Awarded[note 13]
 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Turkmenistan 2–1 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 20,100
Oman 1–1 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Turkmenistan 1–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Oman 3–0 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Iran 3–1 Turkmenistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 35,800
India 1–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Guam 0–6 Iran
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Turkmenistan 2–1 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 23,100
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Iran 4–0 India
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 29,160
Oman 1–0 Guam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

India 1–2 Turkmenistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Iran 2–0 Oman
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 33,850
Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 8 7 1 0 27 0 +27 22 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 5–0 0–0 5–0 3–0
2  Syria 8 6 0 2 26 11 +15 18 0–3 1–0 5–2 6–0
3  Singapore 8 3 1 4 9 9 0 10 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 1–2 1–0 2–1
4  Afghanistan 8 3 0 5 8 24 −16 9 0–6 0–6 2–1 3–0
5  Cambodia 8 0 0 8 1 27 −26 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–2 0–6 0–4 0–1
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Cambodia 0–4 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 63,000
Afghanistan 0–6 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,647
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Japan 0–0 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Cambodia 0–1 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Japan 3–0 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Syria 1–0 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Cambodia 0–6 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Wang Di (China)
Afghanistan 0–6 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Singapore 1–0 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,400
Syria 0–3 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Singapore 2–1 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Syria 5–2 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

Singapore 0–3 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Afghanistan 3–0 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Singapore 1–2 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Cambodia 0–2 Japan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 29,871
Referee: Fu Ming (China)

Japan 5–0 Afghanistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Syria 6–0 Cambodia
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Afghanistan 2–1 Singapore
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 24,500
Referee: Fu Ming (China)
Japan 5–0 Syria
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 57,475

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Thailand 6 4 2 0 14 6 +8 14 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 2–2 1–0 4–2 Canc.
2  Iraq 6 3 3 0 13 6 +7 12 2–2 1–0 5–1 Canc.
3  Vietnam 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 1–1 4–1 Canc.
4  Chinese Taipei 6 0 0 6 5 19 −14 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–2 0–2 1–2 Canc.
5  Indonesia[a] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Disqualified Canc. Canc. Canc. Canc.
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Indonesia was also drawn into this group, but on 30 May 2015 the country's football association was suspended due to governmental interference,[26] and on 3 June 2015 the team was disqualified and all matches involving it were cancelled.[27]
Thailand 1–0 Vietnam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 40,500

Chinese Taipei 0–2 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 18,168
Referee: Ali Shaban (Kuwait)

Iraq 5–1 Chinese Taipei
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,200
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)

Thailand 2–2 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 43,572
Referee: Masaaki Toma (Japan)

Vietnam 1–1 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Vietnam 0–3 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Thailand 4–2 Chinese Taipei
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

Chinese Taipei 0–2 Iraq
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 11,960
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)

Vietnam 4–1 Chinese Taipei
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Iraq 2–2 Thailand
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Iraq 1–0 Vietnam
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,160

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 8 8 0 0 27 0 +27 24 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 1–0 3–0[a] 4–0 8–0
2  Lebanon 8 3 2 3 12 6 +6 11 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 0–1 1–1 7–0
3  Kuwait[a] 8 3 1 4 12 10 +2 10 Disqualified 0–1 0–0 9–0 0–3[a]
4  Myanmar 8 2 2 4 9 21 −12 8 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–2 0–2 3–0[a] 3–1
5  Laos 8 1 1 6 6 29 −23 4 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 0–5 0–2 0–2 2–2
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c d During this stage the Kuwait Football Association was suspended after the country had failed to comply with a decision from FIFA that its sports law had to be changed. The three remaining matches involving Kuwait – away v Myanmar, home v Laos, and away v South Korea – were not played as scheduled, and were eventually awarded as 3–0 wins for Kuwait's opponents.[29][30][31] Kuwait was also unable to compete in the Third round of the Asian Cup qualifying, to which it would have advanced based on its ranking.
Laos 2–2 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Tan Hai (China)
Lebanon 0–1 Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Myanmar 0–2 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Laos 0–2 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

South Korea 8–0 Laos
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 30,205
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)
Kuwait 9–0 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Laos 0–2 Kuwait
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Lebanon 0–3 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,500
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

Myanmar 0–2 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,056
Referee: Mohd Nafeez Abdul Wahab (Malaysia)
Kuwait 0–1 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Myanmar 3–1 Laos
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,500
Referee: Salah Abbas Alabbasi (Bahrain)
Kuwait 0–0 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

South Korea 4–0 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 24,270
Lebanon 7–0 Laos
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Laos 0–5 South Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

South Korea 1–0 Lebanon
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 30,532
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Lebanon 1–1 Myanmar
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,470
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Uzbekistan 8 7 0 1 20 7 +13 21 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup 3–1 1–0 1–0 1–0
2  North Korea 8 5 1 2 14 8 +6 16 Asian Cup qualifying third round 4–2 0–0 2–0 1–0
3  Philippines 8 3 1 4 8 12 −4 10 1–5 3–2 2–1 0–1
4  Bahrain 8 3 0 5 10 10 0 9 0–4 0–1 2–0 3–0
5  Yemen 8 1 0 7 2 17 −15 3 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round 1–3 0–3[a] 0–2 0–4
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ FIFA awarded North Korea a 3–0 win as a result of Yemen fielding the ineligible player Mudir Al-Radaei, after North Korea had defeated Yemen 1–0. Al-Radaei failed to serve an automatic one match suspension for receiving two yellow cards earlier in the First round of the competition.[38]
Philippines 2–1 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Yemen 0–3
Awarded[note 27]
 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

North Korea 4–2 Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Yemen 0–2 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,200
Referee: Dmitriy Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

Uzbekistan 1–0 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Lee Min-hu (South Korea)
Bahrain 0–1 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 9,500
Referee: Mohsen Torky (Iran)

Philippines 1–5 Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Yemen 0–4 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

North Korea 0–0 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 41,000
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Bahrain 0–4 Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

North Korea 1–0 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Bahrain 2–0 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Philippines 0–1 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Uzbekistan 3–1 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
  • Ri Hyok-chol 2'

North Korea 2–0 Bahrain
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Yemen 1–3 Uzbekistan
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Uzbekistan 1–0 Philippines
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 34,000
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Bahrain 3–0 Yemen
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Philippines 3–2 North Korea
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)

Ranking of runner-up teams

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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 by 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.[41]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 F  Iraq 6 3 3 0 13 6 +7 12 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup
2 E  Syria 6 4 0 2 14 11 +3 12
3 A  United Arab Emirates[a] 6 3 2 1 16 4 +12 11 World Cup qualifying third round
4 C  China 6 3 2 1 9 1 +8 11 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup
5 H  North Korea 6 3 1 2 10 8 +2 10 Asian Cup qualifying third round
6 B  Jordan 6 3 1 2 9 7 +2 10
7 D  Oman 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8
8 G  Lebanon 6 1 2 3 3 6 −3 5
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fourth in the group, 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Fair play points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Notes:
  1. ^ United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.

Ranking of fourth-placed teams

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To determine the four best fourth-placed 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 by 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 fourth-placed teams.[41]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D  Guam 6 1 1 4 1 14 −13 4 Asian Cup qualifying third round
2 G  Myanmar 6 1 1 4 4 18 −14 4
3 H  Bahrain 6 1 0 5 3 10 −7 3
4 E  Afghanistan 6 1 0 5 4 24 −20 3
5 B  Tajikistan 6 0 1 5 3 19 −16 1 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round
6 F  Chinese Taipei 6 0 0 6 5 19 −14 0
7 C  Maldives 6 0 0 6 0 15 −15 0
8 A  Malaysia 6 0 0 6 1 29 −28 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fourth in the group, 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Fair play points; 5) Drawing of lots.

Goalscorers

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There were 507 goals scored in 149 matches, for an average of 3.4 goals per match.

14 goals

11 goals

8 goals

7 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Notes

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  1. ^ Indonesia was also drawn into this group, but on 30 May 2015 the country's football association was suspended due to governmental interference, and on 3 June 2015 the team was disqualified and all matches involving it were cancelled.
  2. ^ United Arab Emirates had already qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as tournament hosts and were competing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
  3. ^ The match between Malaysia v Timor-Leste was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
  4. ^ a b The fixtures between Saudi Arabia and Palestine were switched after Saudi Arabia cited "exceptional conditions" for their inability to travel to the West Bank.[12] The return fixture, originally to be played on 13 October 2015 at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, Al-Ram, was later postponed by Saudi Arabia's refusal to pass through Israeli-controlled borders,[13] until the process of agreeing on the venue was concluded.[14] The match was rescheduled to be played on 5 November 2015 in Palestine, after the Palestinian Football Association gave full security guarantees for the match.[15] The match was later further delayed until 9 November, and to be changed to a neutral venue in Asia, as the Palestinian government confirmed that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security for the match.[16] The neutral venue was announced to be Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.[17]
  5. ^ The match between Timor-Leste v United Arab Emirates was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
  6. ^ Timor-Leste played their home match against the United Arab Emirates in Malaysia for the lack of a suitable venue in Dili.[18]
  7. ^ The match between Timor-Leste v Saudi Arabia was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
  8. ^ Match abandoned after 87 minutes due to a group of supporters throwing flares at the pitch. A month later, FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia 3–0 win.[19][20]
  9. ^ The match between Timor-Leste v Palestine was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
  10. ^ The match between Timor-Leste v Malaysia was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
  11. ^ a b The home matches of Palestine against Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were played on neutral ground as the Palestinian government confirmed that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security for the matches.[16] The neutral venue was announced to be Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.[17]
  12. ^ Maldives played their home match against China PR in China because of the poor condition of the National Football Stadium.[21]
  13. ^ FIFA awarded Iran a 3–0 win as a result of India fielding the ineligible player Eugeneson Lyngdoh.[22] The match initially ended 3–0 to Iran.
  14. ^ a b c d Afghanistan played their home matches in Iran because of security concerns from the War in Afghanistan.[23]
  15. ^ a b The fixtures between Japan and Singapore were switched because the Singapore National Stadium was booked on 16 June 2015 to host the closing ceremony of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[24]
  16. ^ a b c d Syria played their home matches in Oman because of security concerns from the Syrian Civil War.[25]
  17. ^ The Thailand v Vietnam match was brought forward from 11 June 2015, as it interfered with commitments for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[28]
  18. ^ a b c Iraq played their home matches in Iran because of security concerns from the Iraqi Civil War.[23]
  19. ^ a b c Myanmar played their home matches in Thailand due to a sanction after a crowd incident during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Oman. The sanction had originally banned the team from entering the competition, but the Myanmar FA filed an appeal to FIFA which was partially upheld.[32]
  20. ^ Kuwait played their home match against Myanmar in Qatar for unspecified reasons.[33]
  21. ^ The Myanmar v Kuwait match, originally to be played on 17 November 2015, 19:00 UTC+7, at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, was not played as scheduled because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association by FIFA.[34]
  22. ^ The match scheduled for 17 November 2015 should be canceled (and awarded as a 3–0 win for Myanmar) as it did not take place because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.[35][36]
  23. ^ The Kuwait v Laos match, originally to be played on 24 March 2016, 18:35 UTC+3, at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, was not played as scheduled because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association by FIFA.[34]
  24. ^ The match scheduled for 24 March 2016 should be canceled (and awarded as a 3–0 win for Laos) as it did not take place because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.[36][37]
  25. ^ The South Korea v Kuwait match, originally to be played on 29 March 2016, 20:00 UTC+9, at the Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu, was not played as scheduled because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association by FIFA.[34]
  26. ^ The match scheduled for 29 March 2016 should be canceled (and awarded as a 3–0 win for South Korea) as it did not take place because of the suspension of the Kuwait Football Association.[36][37]
  27. ^ FIFA awarded North Korea a 3–0 win as a result of Yemen fielding the ineligible player Mudir Al-Radaei, after North Korea had defeated Yemen by 1–0. Al-Radaei failed to serve an automatic one match suspension for receiving two yellow cards earlier in the First round of the competition.[39]
  28. ^ a b c d Yemen played their home matches in Qatar because of security concerns from the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[40]
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o This player's goal tally included one or more goals which the player scored in matches that were subsequently forfeited, but which FIFA still continued to count in its statistics.

References

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  20. ^ "Malaysia-Saudi match final result". FIFA.com. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  21. ^ "足协公布FIFA确认函 敲定国足客战马代易地沈阳" [FIFA confirmed that the Maldives vs. China match would be played in Shenyang, China] (in Chinese). Sohu. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  22. ^ a b "DISCIPLINARY OVERVIEW – 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA QUALIFIERS" (PDF). FIFA. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016.
  23. ^ a b Ali Khan, Mir Farhad (29 April 2015). "Crisis-Hit Countries Can Play World Cup Qualifiers in Iran". persianfootball.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  24. ^ "Japan, Singapore approve swapping venues for World Cup qualifiers". The Japan Times. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  25. ^ Pavitt, Michael (26 May 2015). "Japan to play FIFA World Cup away qualification matches against Afghanistan and Syria in neural venues". Inside The Games. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
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  35. ^ "Kuwait sanctioned after unplayed FIFA World Cup qualifier". FIFA. 13 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
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  37. ^ a b "Kuwait's matches against Laos and Korea Republic forfeited". FIFA. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  38. ^ "Yemen sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  39. ^ "Yemen sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015.
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