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
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.
^ abcdefOn 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]
^United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.
^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]
^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]
^ abcdDuring 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.
^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]
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]
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:
^United Arab Emirates already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation.
Ranking of fourth-placed teams
To determine the four best fourth-placed teams, the following criteria were used:
Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
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]
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
There were 507 goals scored in 149 matches, for an average of 3.4 goals per match.
^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.
^The match between Malaysia v Timor-Leste was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
^ abThe 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]
^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]
^Timor-Leste played their home match against the United Arab Emirates in Malaysia for the lack of a suitable venue in Dili.[18]
^The match between Timor-Leste v Saudi Arabia was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[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]
^The match between Timor-Leste v Palestine was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
^The match between Timor-Leste v Malaysia was forfeited due to the use of falsified documents for their players of Timor-Leste.[8]
^ abThe 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]
^Maldives played their home match against China PR in China because of the poor condition of the National Football Stadium.[21]
^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.
^ abcdAfghanistan played their home matches in Iran because of security concerns from the War in Afghanistan.[23]
^ abcdSyria played their home matches in Oman because of security concerns from the Syrian Civil War.[25]
^The Thailand v Vietnam match was brought forward from 11 June 2015, as it interfered with commitments for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[28]
^ abcIraq played their home matches in Iran because of security concerns from the Iraqi Civil War.[23]
^ abcMyanmar 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]
^Kuwait played their home match against Myanmar in Qatar for unspecified reasons.[33]
^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]
^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]
^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]
^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]
^ abcdefghijklmnoThis 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.
^"World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Completing the tournament's qualifying contenders will be the next 16 highest ranked teams, with the remaining 12 sides battling it out in play-off matches to claim the last eight spots.
^"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.
