In September of last year, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that there will be a new addition to the World Cup qualifiers for the 2022 edition of the tournament. This means that rather than just having teams qualify from different zones, there will also be a third-party seeded team in each group. This has certainly added another layer of difficulty to the qualifying process and is expected to see several teams miss out on making it to Qatar. Here is everything you need to know about these new rules for FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the AFC.
What is a Seeded Team and Why is it Important?
A seeded team is a team that has been given a higher ranking or priority in the tournament. A seeded team typically has a higher ranking than the other teams in the tournament, but this does not always have to be the case. In this case, the seeded teams are placed in a special draw to help determine the groups for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. More on that is below. The seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers are as follows: Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, South Korea, China, and Qatar. The reasoning for these seeds is that these are the top-ranked Asian countries as of October 2018. They will be added to the bottom of the draw, which will look something like this.
Groups for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers - When Are These Games Played?
There are a total of 48 games that will be played during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. There will be 16 games played between June and August, and the other 16 games will be played in October. In each group, the top two teams will make it through to the next round. The FIFA World Cup qualifiers are expected to start in September of 2020, with the seeded team games kicking off in February 2021.
Which Teams Are Currently Seeded For the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers?
The Asian Football Confederation announced that there would be a new addition to the World Cup qualifiers for the 2022 edition of the tournament. This means that rather than just having teams qualify from different zones, there will also be a third-party seeded team in each group. This has certainly added another layer of difficulty to the qualifying process and is expected to see several teams miss out on making it to Qatar. Here is everything you need to know about these new rules for FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the AFC:
- Iran: Currently ranked as the 6th best team in Asia, Iran will be one of the seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Japan: Currently ranked as the 2nd best team in Asia, Japan will be one of the seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. - Qatar: Currently ranked as the 9th best team in Asia, Qatar will be one of the seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Saudi Arabia: Currently ranked as the 7th best team in Asia, Saudi Arabia will be one of the seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- South Korea: Currently ranked as the 3rd best team in Asia, South Korea will be one of the seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Australia: Currently ranked as the 5th best team in Asia, Australia will be one of the seeded teams for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
How is the Final Seeding Determined for the 2022 FIFA World Core?
The final seeded team will be determined by the results of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The top Asian finisher in the 2026 tournament will be added to the bottom of the draw and will be seeded. This ensures that there is no advantage to any of the Asian countries that are hosting the 2026 tournament. It also means that the FIFA World Cup qualifiers will have the potential to be even more exciting, as any of the top Asian countries could be in the same group. This is certainly a change from the norm, and it will make for some interesting FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Conclusion
The FIFA World Cup qualifiers are always a great tournament, but the new rules are certainly going to make it more competitive than ever. At the moment, there are a few Asian countries that are expected to make it through to the next round without any real trouble. The new rules are expected to make the competition more difficult for all the teams, which is great for the sport as a whole. The qualifying process is set to be more competitive than ever, and this will ultimately make the final tournament even more exciting.