Australia To Face Familiar Foes As Iran Draw Iraq In World Cup Qualifying

Australia To Face Familiar Foes As Iran Draw Iraq In World Cup Qualifying

Australia will battle old demons after being thrust into the same group as Jordan in the second round of AFC qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

The draw took place in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and put the Socceroos on a collision course with a team that has had their measure in recent years.

Jordan have won three of five meetings since 2012, among them a 1-0 victory at the Asian Cup in January.

Chinese Taipei, Kuwait and Nepal round out Group B.

Asia’s top-ranked team, Iran, are to face Bahrain, Cambodia, Hong Kong and the tricky Iraq in Group C.

Continental champions Qatar, heavyweights Japan, and South Korea, who beat Germany at the last World Cup, have each been handed straightforward paths into the third round of qualifying.

The group winners and four best runners-up advance to the third qualifying phase, with those 12 teams to also qualify automatically for the Asian Cup in four years’ time.

The next best 24 teams will compete in a separate qualifying competition to determine the remaining places at China 2023.

Group A: China, Syria, Philippines, Maldives, Guam

Group B: Australia, Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait, Nepal

Group C: Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Cambodia

Group D: Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Palestine, Yemen, Singapore

Group E: Bangladesh, Oman, India, Afghanistan, Qatar

Group F: Japan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Myanmar, Mongolia

Group G: UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia

Group H: South Korea, Lebanon, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka

Source:- SoccerNews