2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

The third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played from 26 March 2017 to 27 March 2018.

2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round
Tournament details
Dates26 March 2017 – 27 March 2018
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played72
Goals scored243 (3.38 per match)
Attendance544,730 (7,566 per match)
Top scorer(s)Oman Khalid Al-Hajri
(8 goals)
2015
2023

Format edit

A total of 24 teams (16 teams which advanced from the second round and eight teams which advanced from the play-off round) compete in the third round to compete for the final 12 slots in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[1][2] Since the hosts United Arab Emirates advanced to the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, the automatic slot for the hosts is no longer necessary.

The 24 teams were divided into six groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, where they were joined by the 12 teams which qualified directly from the second round.[3]

Qualified teams edit

Teams qualified from second round
Group Runners-up (Worst 4) Third place Fourth place (Best 4)
A   Palestine
B   Jordan   Kyrgyzstan
C   Hong Kong
D   Oman   Turkmenistan   Guam[nb 1]
E   Singapore   Afghanistan
F   Vietnam
G   Lebanon   Kuwait[nb 2]   Myanmar
H   North Korea   Philippines   Bahrain
Notes
  1. ^ Guam withdrew from the tournament due to financial constraints.[4][5] The All Nepal Football Association announced on 27 December 2016 that they accepted an offer from the AFC to replace Guam.[6]
  2. ^ The Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA.[7] Kuwait had a deadline of 11 January 2017 for lifting of the suspension,[8][9] but they were unable to do so and were replaced by Macau.[10][11]
Teams qualified from play-off round
Round 1 winners
  Cambodia
  Yemen
  Tajikistan
  Malaysia
  India
Round 2 winners
  Maldives
  Bhutan
  Chinese Taipei
Teams qualified from Solidarity Cup

Due to the withdrawal of Guam and the suspension of Kuwait, the AFC invited both Nepal and Macau, the top two teams of the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup, to re-enter 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification as replacements in order to maintain 24 teams in the third round of the competition.[10]

Finalists
    Nepal (replaced Guam)
  Macau (replaced Kuwait)

Draw edit

The draw for the third round was held on 23 January 2017, 16:00 GST (UTC+4), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.[12] It was initially scheduled for 18 January 2017, but was delayed.[13][9]

The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four.[12] They were seeded using the January 2017 FIFA World Rankings (indicated in parentheses below).[10][14][15]

The national teams which eventually qualified are presented in bold.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
  1.   Jordan (107)
  2.   Oman (118)
  3.   Philippines (122)
  4.   Bahrain (123)
  5.   Kyrgyzstan (124)
  6.   North Korea (125)
  1.   India (129)
  2.   Palestine (131)
  3.   Tajikistan (132)
  4.   Vietnam (136)
  5.   Hong Kong (140)
  6.   Turkmenistan (143)
  1.   Maldives (145)
  2.   Lebanon (148)
  3.   Yemen (149)
  4.   Afghanistan (151)
  5.   Chinese Taipei (157)
  6.   Myanmar (159)
  1.   Malaysia (161)
  2.   Singapore (165)
  3.   Cambodia (172)
  4.     Nepal (175)
  5.   Bhutan (176)
  6.   Macau (184)

Schedule edit

The schedule of each matchday was as follows.[15][16][17]

Matchday Dates Matches
Matchday 1 28 March 2017 1 v 4, 3 v 2
Matchday 2 13 June 2017 4 v 3, 2 v 1
Matchday 3 5 September 2017 4 v 2, 1 v 3
Matchday 4 10 October 2017 2 v 4, 3 v 1
Matchday 5 14 November 2017 4 v 1, 2 v 3
Matchday 6 27 March 2018 1 v 2, 3 v 4

Groups edit

  The top two teams of each group qualified for the final tournament.
Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 9.3):[3]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  5. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying criteria 1 to 4, a subset of teams were still tied, criteria 1 to 4 were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  9. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  10. Drawing of lots.

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification        
1   India 6 4 1 1 11 5 +6 13[a] 2019 AFC Asian Cup 1–0 2–2 4–1
2   Kyrgyzstan 6 4 1 1 14 8 +6 13[a] 2–1 5–1 1–0
3   Myanmar 6 2 2 2 10 10 0 8 0–1 2–2 1–0
4   Macau 6 0 0 6 4 16 −12 0 0–2 3–4 0–4
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: India 1–0 Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan 2–1 India (India are ahead of Kyrgyzstan on head to head away goals).
Myanmar  0–1  India
Report
  • Chhetri   90+1'
Kyrgyzstan  1–0  Macau
Report

Macau  0–4  Myanmar
Report
India  1–0  Kyrgyzstan
Report

Macau  0–2  India
Report

Myanmar  2–2  Kyrgyzstan
Report
Attendance: 2,886
India  4–1  Macau
Report
Attendance: 4,113
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)

Macau  3–4  Kyrgyzstan
Report
India  2–2  Myanmar
Report
Attendance: 5,546

Kyrgyzstan  5–1  Myanmar
Report

Myanmar  1–0  Macau
Report
Attendance: 4,638
Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)
Kyrgyzstan  2–1  India
Report

Group B edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification        
1   Lebanon 6 5 1 0 14 4 +10 16 2019 AFC Asian Cup 5–0 2–0 2–1
2   North Korea 6 3 2 1 13 10 +3 11 2–2 2–0 4–1
3   Hong Kong 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 0–1 1–1 2–0
4   Malaysia 6 0 1 5 5 15 −10 1 1–2 1–4 1–1
Source: AFC
Lebanon  2–0  Hong Kong
Report

Hong Kong  1–1  North Korea
Report
Attendance: 8,194
Malaysia  1–2  Lebanon
Report

North Korea  2–2  Lebanon
Report
Malaysia  1–1  Hong Kong
Report

Hong Kong  2–0  Malaysia
Report
Lebanon  5–0  North Korea
Report

North Korea  4–1  Malaysia
Report

Malaysia  1–4  North Korea
Report
Hong Kong  0–1  Lebanon
Report
Attendance: 10,109

North Korea  2–0  Hong Kong
Report
Lebanon  2–1  Malaysia
Report

Group C edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification        
1   Jordan 6 3 3 0 16 5 +11 12 2019 AFC Asian Cup 1–1 4–1 7–0
2   Vietnam 6 2 4 0 9 3 +6 10 0–0 0–0 5–0
3   Afghanistan 6 1 3 2 7 10 −3 6 3–3 1–1 2–1
4   Cambodia 6 1 0 5 3 17 −14 3 0–1 1–2 1–0
Source: AFC
Afghanistan  1–1  Vietnam
Report
Jordan  7–0  Cambodia
Report

Cambodia  1–0  Afghanistan
Report
Attendance: 40,000
Vietnam  0–0  Jordan
Report

Cambodia  1–2  Vietnam
Report
Attendance: 34,587
Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)
Jordan  4–1  Afghanistan
Report

Afghanistan  3–3  Jordan
Report
Vietnam  5–0  Cambodia
Report

Cambodia  0–1  Jordan
Report
Attendance: 18,369
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
Vietnam  0–0  Afghanistan
Report

Afghanistan  2–1  Cambodia
Report
Jordan  1–1  Vietnam
Report

Group D edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification        
1   Oman 6 5 0 1 28 5 +23 15[a] 2019 AFC Asian Cup 1–0 5–0 14–0
2   Palestine 6 5 0 1 25 3 +22 15[a] 2–1 8–1 10–0
3   Maldives 6 2 0 4 11 19 −8 6 1–3 0–3 7–0
4   Bhutan 6 0 0 6 2 39 −37 0 2–4 0–2 0–2
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Palestine 2–1 Oman, Oman 1–0 Palestine (Oman are ahead of Palestine on away goals).
Oman  14–0  Bhutan
Report
Maldives  0–3  Palestine
Report

Bhutan  0–2  Maldives
Report
Palestine  2–1  Oman
Report

Bhutan  0–2  Palestine
Report
Oman  5–0  Maldives
Report

Palestine  10–0  Bhutan
Report
Maldives  1–3  Oman
Report

Bhutan  2–4  Oman
Report
Palestine  8–1  Maldives
Report

Oman  1–0  Palestine
Report
Maldives  7–0  Bhutan
Report
Attendance: 2,443
Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)

Group E edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification        
1   Bahrain 6 4 1 1 15 3 +12 13 2019 AFC Asian Cup 4–0 5–0 0–0
2   Turkmenistan 6 3 1 2 9 10 −1 10 1–2 2–1 2–1
3   Chinese Taipei 6 3 0 3 7 12 −5 9 2–1 1–3 1–0
4   Singapore 6 0 2 4 3 9 −6 2 0–3 1–1 1–2
Source: AFC
Chinese Taipei  1–3  Turkmenistan
Report
Bahrain  0–0  Singapore
Report

Singapore  1–2  Chinese Taipei
Report
Turkmenistan  1–2  Bahrain
Report
Attendance: 9,500
Referee: Ma Ning (China PR)

Singapore  1–1  Turkmenistan
Report
Bahrain  5–0  Chinese Taipei
Report

Chinese Taipei  2–1  Bahrain
Report
Turkmenistan  2–1  Singapore
Report
Attendance: 15,400

Turkmenistan  2–1  Chinese Taipei
Report
Singapore  0–3  Bahrain
Report

Chinese Taipei  1–0  Singapore
Report
Bahrain  4–0  Turkmenistan
Report
Attendance: 100
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)

Group F edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification        
1   Philippines 6 3 3 0 13 8 +5 12 2019 AFC Asian Cup 2–2 2–1 4–1
2   Yemen 6 2 4 0 7 5 +2 10 1–1 2–1 2–1
3   Tajikistan 6 2 1 3 10 9 +1 7 3–4 0–0 3–0
4     Nepal 6 0 2 4 3 11 −8 2 0–0 0–0 1–2
Source: AFC
Philippines  4–1    Nepal
Report
Attendance: 1,715
Referee: Yaqoob Abdul Baki (Oman)
Yemen  2–1  Tajikistan
Report

Nepal    0–0  Yemen
Report
Attendance: 700
Referee: Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)
Tajikistan  3–4  Philippines
Report
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

Nepal    1–2  Tajikistan
Report
Philippines  2–2  Yemen
Report

Tajikistan  3–0    Nepal
Report
Attendance: 12,000
Yemen  1–1  Philippines
Report

Nepal    0–0  Philippines
Report
Attendance: 1,023
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)
Tajikistan  0–0  Yemen
Report

Philippines  2–1  Tajikistan
Report
Yemen  2–1    Nepal
Report

Goalscorers edit

There were 243 goals scored in 72 matches, for an average of 3.38 goals per match.

8 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Since the Government of Kyrgyzstan had advised them that the AFC Asian Cup 2019 Final Round Group A qualifying match between Kyrgyz Republic and Myanmar should not take place in Bishkek as scheduled on 5 September 2017 due to increased security concerns following Myanmar military clearance operations against Rohingya in August-September 2017,[18] the AFC decided to postpone the match.[19] On 24 November 2017, the AFC announced that the match will be played on 22 March 2018 at a neutral venue, with the Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic covering all the costs of the Myanmar team and of the match organisation, including airfares and accommodation.[20] The two Member Associations will be requested to agree on the neutral venue, and if they fail to reach a consensus the AFC will make the appointment. On 12 February 2018, the Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic announced that the match is to be played in Incheon, South Korea.[21]
  2. ^ a b Due to the death of Kim Jong-nam that led to a diplomatic crisis between Malaysia and North Korea, the Malaysian government decided to disallow the Malaysian football team from playing in North Korea for safety reasons. On 10 March 2017, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that North Korea's home match against Malaysia, originally scheduled for 28 March at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, would be postponed,[22] with the AFC announcing on 15 March 2017 that the match would be played on 8 June.[23] On 17 May 2017, the AFC announced that the match was postponed for a second time, to 5 October, due to "geo-political tension on the Korean Peninsula".[24] On 28 September 2017, the AFC announced that the match was again postponed after the Malaysian government announced a travel ban on Malaysian nationals visiting North Korea.[25] On 20 October 2017, the AFC announced that both matches between North Korea and Malaysia would be played at a neutral venue in the interests of competition fairness, with North Korea's "home" match played on 10 November 2017 and Malaysia's "home" match played on 13 November 2017.[26]
  3. ^ a b On 15 March 2017, the AFC announced that should diplomatic relations between the two countries not return to normal, the match between North Korea and Malaysia would be played at a neutral venue, and Malaysia's home match against North Korea would also be moved to a neutral venue to preserve sporting values and the spirit of fair play.[23] After the AFC received confirmation that Malaysians were allowed to travel to North Korea, the AFC agreed that the match would be played in Pyongyang.[27] However, at the announcement of the second postponement, the AFC said the venue would be decided after monitoring the safety and security of the AFC Cup and AFC U-23 Championship qualifying matches taking place in North Korea in the coming months.[24] On 20 October 2017, the AFC announced that both matches between North Korea and Malaysia would be played at a neutral venue in the interests of competition fairness, with North Korea's "home" match played on 10 November 2017 and Malaysia's "home" match played on 13 November 2017,[26] which were later confirmed to be played at Thailand.[28]
  4. ^ a b c Afghanistan played their home matches in Tajikistan due to security concerns from the war in Afghanistan.
  5. ^ a b The Singapore - Chinese Taipei match, originally scheduled for 13 June 2017 at the Singapore National Stadium, was brought forward at the request of the Football Association of Singapore to accommodate a possible Singapore - Argentina friendly at the same location on 13 June. In addition, the game will be held away from the Singapore National Stadium due to the venue hosting a rugby test match between Scotland and Italy on the new date.[29]
  6. ^ a b c Yemen played their home matches in Qatar due to security concerns from the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.

References edit

  1. ^ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  2. ^ "World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Completing the [Asian Cup] 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.
  3. ^ a b "AFC Asian Cup 2019 Competition Regulations". AFC.
  4. ^ "Matao Asian Cup campaign officially ends with withdrawal". Guam Football Association. 29 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Matao drop out of Asia Cup qualifiers". Guam Pacific Daily News. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Nepal to compete in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers". All Nepal Football Association. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  7. ^ "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". FIFA. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Deadline for decision on Kuwait's participation extended". AFC. 23 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  9. ^ a b "Жеребьевка отборочного турнира Кубка Азии-2019 перенесена на 23 января" [The draw for 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers moved to 23 January] (in Russian). Tajikistan Football Federation. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  10. ^ a b c "Teams for final round of AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 qualifiers confirmed". Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  11. ^ "2019亞洲盃外圍賽第三圈賽事事宜" (in Chinese). Macau Football Association. 13 January 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Draw for final round of AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 qualifiers concluded". AFC. 23 January 2017.
  13. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee recommends new AFC Cup format". AFC. 25 November 2016.
  14. ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – January 2017 (AFC)". FIFA.com. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers Draw Mechanism" (PDF). AFC.
  16. ^ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2017" (PDF). AFC.
  17. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2018" (PDF). AFC. 15 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Kyrgyzstan v Myanmar postponed Kygyz PM warns of 'security threat'". Inside World Football. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  19. ^ "Kyrgyz Republic-Myanmar AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifier postponed". AFC. 4 September 2017.
  20. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee decisions". AFC. 24 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Официально: Матч отборочного раунда Кубка Азии-2019 Кыргызская Республика – Мьянма состоится 22 марта в Южной Корее" (in Russian). Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  22. ^ "AFC postpones DPR Korea and Malaysia match". AFC. 10 March 2017.
  23. ^ a b "DPR Korea – Malaysia AFC Asian Cup Qualifier to take place on June 8". AFC. 15 March 2017.
  24. ^ a b "AFC postpones DPR Korea v Malaysia Asian Cup Qualifier". AFC. 17 May 2017.
  25. ^ "DPR Korea–Malaysia AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifying match postponed". AFC. 28 September 2017.
  26. ^ a b "DPR Korea and Malaysia matches to be played in neutral venue". AFC. 20 October 2017.
  27. ^ "Latest on DPR Korea versus Malaysia match". AFC. 8 May 2017.
  28. ^ "DPR Korea vs Malaysia matches to be played in Thailand". AFC. 24 October 2017.
  29. ^ "Singapore to host Argentina, probably without Messi, at National Stadium in June".

External links edit