2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round

International football competition

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round
Tournament details
Dates	1 September 2016 – 5 September 2017
Teams	12 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	60
Goals scored	129 (2.15 per match)
Attendance	1,950,068 (32,501 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Tomi Juric Mohannad Abdul-Raheem Nawaf Al-Abed Ahmed Khalil (5 goals each)
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International football competition

The third round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 1 September 2016 to 5 September 2017.

Format

A total of twelve teams which advanced from the second round (the eight group winners and the four best group runners-up) were divided into two groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the two third-placed teams advanced to the fourth round.

Qualified teams

Group (Second round)	Winners	Runners-up (Best 4)
A	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
B	Australia	—
C	Qatar	China
D	Iran	—
E	Japan	Syria
F	Thailand	Iraq
G	South Korea	—
H	Uzbekistan	—

Seeding

The draw for the third round was held on 12 April 2016, at 16:30 MST (UTC+8), at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The seeding were based on the FIFA World Rankings of April 2016 (shown in parentheses below). The twelve teams were seeded into six pots:

Pot 1 contained the teams ranked 1–2.
Pot 2 contained the teams ranked 3–4.
Pot 3 contained the teams ranked 5–6.
Pot 4 contained the teams ranked 7–8.
Pot 5 contained the teams ranked 9–10.
Pot 6 contained the teams ranked 11–12.

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

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the World Cup. Italicised teams qualified for the fourth round.

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3
Iran (42) Australia (50)	South Korea (56) Japan (57)	Saudi Arabia (60) Uzbekistan (66)
Pot 4	Pot 5	Pot 6
United Arab Emirates (68) China (81)	Qatar (83) Iraq (105)	Syria (110) Thailand (119)

Groups

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): Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss) Overall goal difference Overall goals scored Points in matches between tied teams Goal difference in matches between tied teams Goals scored in matches between tied teams Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format) 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 Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

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):

Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
Overall goal difference
Overall goals scored
Points in matches between tied teams
Goal difference in matches between tied teams
Goals scored in matches between tied teams
Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
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
Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iran	10	6	4	0	10	2	+8	22	2018 FIFA World Cup	—	1–0	2–2	2–0	1–0	2–0
2	South Korea	10	4	3	3	11	10	+1	15	2018 FIFA World Cup	0–0	—	1–0	2–1	3–2	3–2
3	Syria	10	3	4	3	9	8	+1	13	Fourth round	0–0	0–0	—	1–0	2–2	3–1
4	Uzbekistan	10	4	1	5	6	7	−1	13		0–1	0–0	1–0	—	2–0	1–0
5	China	10	3	3	4	8	10	−2	12		0–0	1–0	0–1	1–0	—	0–0
6	Qatar	10	2	1	7	8	15	−7	7		0–1	3–2	1–0	0–1	1–2	—

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers 1 September 2016 (2016-09-01)20:00 UTC+9

South Korea	3–2	China
Zheng Zhi 21' (o.g.) Lee Chung-yong 63' Koo Ja-cheol 66'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Yu Hai 74' Hao Junmin 77'

Seoul World Cup Stadium, SeoulAttendance: 51,238Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) 1 September 2016 (2016-09-01)20:00 UTC+5

Uzbekistan	1–0	Syria
Geynrikh 73'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Bunyodkor Stadium, TashkentAttendance: 29,100Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan) 1 September 2016 (2016-09-01)21:00 UTC+4:30

Iran	2–0	Qatar
Ghoochannejhad 90+4' Jahanbakhsh 90+6'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Azadi Stadium, TehranAttendance: 78,000Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

6 September 2016 (2016-09-06)19:35 UTC+8

China	0–0	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, ShenyangAttendance: 35,776Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan) 6 September 2016 (2016-09-06)20:00 UTC+8

Syria	0–0	South Korea
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Seremban (Malaysia)Attendance: 4,350Referee: Chris Beath (Australia) 6 September 2016 (2016-09-06)19:00 UTC+3

Qatar	0–1	Uzbekistan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Krimets 86'

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, DohaAttendance: 7,898Referee: Ali Abdulnabi (Bahrain)

6 October 2016 (2016-10-06)20:00 UTC+9

South Korea	3–2	Qatar
Ki Sung-yueng 11' Ji Dong-won 56' Son Heung-min 58'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Haydos 16' (pen.) Soria 45'

Suwon World Cup Stadium, SuwonAttendance: 32,550Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia) 6 October 2016 (2016-10-06)19:35 UTC+8

China	0–1	Syria
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Mawas 54'

Shaanxi Province Stadium, Xi'anAttendance: 37,368Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) 6 October 2016 (2016-10-06)18:00 UTC+5

Uzbekistan	0–1	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Hosseini 27'

Bunyodkor Stadium, TashkentAttendance: 34,000Referee: Ben Williams (Australia)

11 October 2016 (2016-10-11)18:00 UTC+5

Uzbekistan	2–0	China
Bikmaev 50' Shukurov 85'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Bunyodkor Stadium, TashkentAttendance: 21,503Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka) 11 October 2016 (2016-10-11)18:15 UTC+3:30

Iran	1–0	South Korea
Azmoun 25'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Azadi Stadium, TehranAttendance: 75,800Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan) 11 October 2016 (2016-10-11)19:00 UTC+3

Qatar	1–0	Syria
Al-Haydos 37' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, DohaAttendance: 9,940Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)20:00 UTC+9

South Korea	2–1	Uzbekistan
Nam Tae-hee 67' Koo Ja-cheol 85'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Bikmaev 25'

Seoul World Cup Stadium, SeoulAttendance: 30,526Referee: Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia) 15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)19:35 UTC+8

China	0–0	Qatar
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Tuodong Stadium, KunmingAttendance: 32,763Referee: Mohanad Qasim Eesee Sarray (Iraq) 15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)20:45 UTC+8

Syria	0–0	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Seremban (Malaysia)Attendance: 4,560Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)

23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)19:35 UTC+8

China	1–0	South Korea
Yu Dabao 35'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Helong Stadium, ChangshaAttendance: 30,950Referee: Peter Green (Australia) 23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)20:00 UTC+8

Syria	1–0	Uzbekistan
Kharbin 90+1' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Hang Jebat Stadium, Krubong (Malaysia)Attendance: 350Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) 23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)19:00 UTC+3

Qatar	0–1	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Taremi 52'

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, DohaAttendance: 10,237Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

28 March 2017 (2017-03-28)20:00 UTC+9

South Korea	1–0	Syria
Hong Jeong-ho 4'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Seoul World Cup Stadium, SeoulAttendance: 30,352Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan) 28 March 2017 (2017-03-28)16:30 UTC+4:30

Iran	1–0	China
Taremi 46'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Azadi Stadium, TehranAttendance: 78,115Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) 28 March 2017 (2017-03-28)18:00 UTC+5

Uzbekistan	1–0	Qatar
Ahmedov 65'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Bunyodkor Stadium, TashkentAttendance: 19,000Referee: Mohanad Qasim Eesee Sarray (Iraq)

12 June 2017 (2017-06-12)21:15 UTC+4:30

Iran	2–0	Uzbekistan
Azmoun 23' Taremi 88'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Azadi Stadium, TehranAttendance: 59,730Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) 13 June 2017 (2017-06-13)21:45 UTC+8

Syria	2–2	China
Al-Mawas 12' (pen.) Al Saleh 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Gao Lin 68' (pen.) Wu Xi 75'

Hang Jebat Stadium, Krubong (Malaysia)Attendance: 4,737Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates) 13 June 2017 (2017-06-13)22:00 UTC+3

Qatar	3–2	South Korea
Al-Haydos 25', 75' Afif 51'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Ki Sung-yueng 62' Hwang Hee-chan 70'

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, DohaAttendance: 5,373Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

31 August 2017 (2017-08-31)20:00 UTC+8

China	1–0	Uzbekistan
Gao Lin 84' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, WuhanAttendance: 51,666Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka) 31 August 2017 (2017-08-31)21:00 UTC+9

South Korea	0–0	Iran
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Seoul World Cup Stadium, SeoulAttendance: 63,124Referee: Peter Green (Australia) 31 August 2017 (2017-08-31)20:00 UTC+8

Syria	3–1	Qatar
Kharbin 7', 54' Al-Mawas 90+5'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Assadalla 35'

Hang Jebat Stadium, Krubong (Malaysia)Attendance: 300Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)

5 September 2017 (2017-09-05)18:00 UTC+3

Qatar	1–2	China
Afif 47'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Xiao Zhi 74' Wu Lei 84'

Khalifa International Stadium, DohaAttendance: 5,686Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) 5 September 2017 (2017-09-05)19:30 UTC+4:30

Iran	2–2	Syria
Azmoun 45', 64'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Haj Mohamad 13' Al Somah 90+3'

Azadi Stadium, TehranAttendance: 62,165Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan) 5 September 2017 (2017-09-05)20:00 UTC+5

Uzbekistan	0–0	South Korea
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Bunyodkor Stadium, TashkentAttendance: 34,000Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Japan	10	6	2	2	17	7	+10	20	2018 FIFA World Cup	—	2–1	2–0	1–2	2–1	4–0
2	Saudi Arabia	10	6	1	3	17	10	+7	19	2018 FIFA World Cup	1–0	—	2–2	3–0	1–0	1–0
3	Australia	10	5	4	1	16	11	+5	19	Fourth round	1–1	3–2	—	2–0	2–0	2–1
4	United Arab Emirates	10	4	1	5	10	13	−3	13		0–2	2–1	0–1	—	2–0	3–1
5	Iraq	10	3	2	5	11	12	−1	11		1–1	1–2	1–1	1–0	—	4–0
6	Thailand	10	0	2	8	6	24	−18	2		0–2	0–3	2–2	1–1	1–2	—

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers 1 September 2016 (2016-09-01)18:30 UTC+8

Australia	2–0	Iraq
Luongo 58' Juric 64'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Perth Oval, PerthAttendance: 18,923Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran) 1 September 2016 (2016-09-01)19:35 UTC+9

Japan	1–2	United Arab Emirates
Honda 11'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Khalil 20', 54' (pen.)

Saitama Stadium 2002, SaitamaAttendance: 58,895Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar) 1 September 2016 (2016-09-01)20:30 UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	1–0	Thailand
Al-Abed 84' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

King Fahd International Stadium, RiyadhAttendance: 40,983Referee: Fu Ming (China)

6 September 2016 (2016-09-06)19:00 UTC+8

Iraq	1–2	Saudi Arabia
Abdul-Raheem 18'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Abed 81' (pen.), 88' (pen.)

Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam (Malaysia)Attendance: 3,400Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar) 6 September 2016 (2016-09-06)19:15 UTC+7

Thailand	0–2	Japan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Haraguchi 19' Asano 75'

Rajamangala Stadium, BangkokAttendance: 44,500Referee: Mohsen Torky (Iran) 6 September 2016 (2016-09-06)19:30 UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	0–1	Australia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Cahill 75'

Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu DhabiAttendance: 40,893Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)

6 October 2016 (2016-10-06)19:35 UTC+9

Japan	2–1	Iraq
Haraguchi 26' Yamaguchi 90+5'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Abdul-Amir 60'

Saitama Stadium 2002, SaitamaAttendance: 57,768Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea) 6 October 2016 (2016-10-06)20:00 UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	3–1	Thailand
Mabkhout 14', 47' Khalil 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Tana 65'

Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu DhabiAttendance: 18,242Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong) 6 October 2016 (2016-10-06)20:45 UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	2–2	Australia
Al-Jassim 5' Al-Shamrani 79'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Sainsbury 45' Juric 71'

King Abdullah Sports City, JeddahAttendance: 51,616Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

11 October 2016 (2016-10-11)20:00 UTC+11

Australia	1–1	Japan
Jedinak 52' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Haraguchi 5'

Docklands Stadium, MelbourneAttendance: 48,460Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain) 11 October 2016 (2016-10-11)16:00 UTC+3:30

Iraq	4–0	Thailand
Abdul-Raheem 7', 25', 87', 90+4'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Tehran (Iran)Attendance: 2,255Referee: Ma Ning (China) 11 October 2016 (2016-10-11)20:45 UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	3–0	United Arab Emirates
Al-Muwallad 73' Al-Abed 79' Al-Shehri 90+2'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

King Abdullah Sports City, JeddahAttendance: 60,102Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)19:35 UTC+9

Japan	2–1	Saudi Arabia
Kiyotake 45' (pen.) Haraguchi 80'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Om. Hawsawi 90'

Saitama Stadium 2002, SaitamaAttendance: 58,420Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) 15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)19:00 UTC+7

Thailand	2–2	Australia
Teerasil 20', 57' (pen.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Jedinak 9' (pen.), 65' (pen.)

Rajamangala Stadium, BangkokAttendance: 36,534Referee: Fahad Al-Marri (Qatar) 15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)19:20 UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	2–0	Iraq
Khalil 26' Matar 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu DhabiAttendance: 14,583Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)16:30 UTC+4:30

Iraq	1–1	Australia
Yasin 76'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Leckie 40'

Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Tehran (Iran)Attendance: 3,270Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea) 23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)19:00 UTC+7

Thailand	0–3	Saudi Arabia
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Sahlawi 26' Tanaboon 84' (o.g.) Al-Moasher 90+2'

Rajamangala Stadium, BangkokAttendance: 41,613Referee: Ali Abdulnabi (Bahrain) 23 March 2017 (2017-03-23)19:30 UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	0–2	Japan
	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Kubo 14' Konno 52'

Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al AinAttendance: 23,725Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

28 March 2017 (2017-03-28)20:00 UTC+11

Australia	2–0	United Arab Emirates
Irvine 7' Leckie 78'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Sydney Football Stadium, SydneyAttendance: 27,328Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman) 28 March 2017 (2017-03-28)19:35 UTC+9

Japan	4–0	Thailand
Kagawa 8' Okazaki 19' Kubo 57' Yoshida 83'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Saitama Stadium 2002, SaitamaAttendance: 59,003Referee: Kim Dong-jin (South Korea) 28 March 2017 (2017-03-28)20:30 UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	1–0	Iraq
Al-Shehri 53'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

King Abdullah Sports City, JeddahAttendance: 60,153Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)

8 June 2017 (2017-06-08)19:30 UTC+9:30

Australia	3–2	Saudi Arabia
Juric 7', 36' Rogic 64'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Dawsari 23' Al-Sahlawi 45+2'

Adelaide Oval, AdelaideAttendance: 29,785Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) 13 June 2017 (2017-06-13)19:00 UTC+7

Thailand	1–1	United Arab Emirates
Mongkol 69'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Mabkhout 90+3'

Rajamangala Stadium, BangkokAttendance: 24,417Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) 13 June 2017 (2017-06-13)16:55 UTC+4:30

Iraq	1–1	Japan
Kamel 73'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Osako 8'

Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Tehran (Iran)Attendance: 983Referee: Fu Ming (China)

29 August 2017 (2017-08-29)20:30 UTC+4

United Arab Emirates	2–1	Saudi Arabia
Mabkhout 21' Khalil 60'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Al-Abed 20' (pen.)

Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al AinAttendance: 10,221Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea) 31 August 2017 (2017-08-31)19:35 UTC+9

Japan	2–0	Australia
Asano 41' Ideguchi 82'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Saitama Stadium 2002, SaitamaAttendance: 59,492Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran) 31 August 2017 (2017-08-31)19:00 UTC+7

Thailand	1–2	Iraq
Ibrahim 63' (o.g.)	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Meram 34' Abdul-Amir 85' (pen.)

Rajamangala Stadium, BangkokAttendance: 22,604Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

5 September 2017 (2017-09-05)20:00 UTC+10

Australia	2–1	Thailand
Juric 69' Leckie 86'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)	Pokklaw 82'

Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, MelbourneAttendance: 26,393Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong) 5 September 2017 (2017-09-05)17:00 UTC+3

Iraq	1–0	United Arab Emirates
Hussein 29'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

Amman International Stadium, Amman (Jordan)Attendance: 2,185Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan) 5 September 2017 (2017-09-05)20:30 UTC+3

Saudi Arabia	1–0	Japan
Al-Muwallad 63'	Report (FIFA) Report (AFC)

King Abdullah Sports City, JeddahAttendance: 62,165Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)

Goalscorers

There were 129 goals scored in 60 matches, for an average of 2.15 goals per match.

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Zheng Zhi (against South Korea)
Ahmad Ibrahim (against Thailand)
Tanaboon Kesarat (against Saudi Arabia)

Notes

^ Syria played their home matches outside Syria due to security concerns from the Syrian Civil War.
The kickoff of the Syria v Iran match was originally at 20:00 local time but was delayed by 45 minutes due to heavy rain.
^ Iraq played their home matches in Iran due to security concerns from the Iraqi Civil War. However, due to Saudi Arabia's refusal to play in Iran after the attack on their diplomatic missions in Iran, the first match was played in Malaysia. Also, due to United Arab Emirates' refusal to play in Iran after the diplomatic crisis in Qatar, the final match was played in Jordan.
The Australia v Saudi Arabia match was brought forward from 13 June 2017 due to Australia's participation in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

References

"ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
"2018 FIFA World Cup: Asian Qualifying Round 3 line up complete". Asian Football Confederation. 30 March 2016.
"Stage set for Russia 2018 Asian qualifiers Final Round draw". Asian Football Confederation. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016.
"FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – April 2016 (AFC)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
"Iran remain No. 1 in Asia, Australia the big movers". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
"Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
"Iran hold by Syria in FIFA World Cup qualifier". Tehran Times. 15 November 2016.
"AFC deny Iraq's demand to play Saudi Arabia in Iran". Goal.com. 29 April 2016.
"Australia, Japan to go head-to-head following Asian draw". FIFA.com. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
"Football: FIFA replaces Qatari referee for UAE World Cup qualifier; Singaporean steps in". Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.

External links

Official FIFA World Cup website
- Qualifiers – Asia: Round 3, FIFA.com
FIFA World Cup, the-AFC.com
FIFA World Cup 2018, stats.the-AFC.com

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