2018 FIFA World Cup - AFC Qualifiers
No Asian friendlies before next FIFA World ranking for March
FIFA World rankings for March are ready from Football Rankings.
Pot 1 :
1 . Iran 691 points
2. Japan 617 points
3. South Korea 594 points
4. Australia 549 points
5. UAE 523 points
6. Uzbekistan 483 points
7. China 423 points
8. Oman 356 points
Pot 2 :
9. Iraq 353 points
10. Saudi Arabia 339 points
11. Jordan 326 points
12. Bahrain 319 points
13. Qatar 300 points
14. Kuwait 231 points
15. Philippines 221 points
16. Vietnam 220 points
Pot 3 :
17. Maldives 214 points
18. Afghanistan 203 points
19. Palestine 194 points
20. Tajikistan 192 points
21. Thailand 189 points
22. Turkmenistan 175 points
23. Lebanon 164 points
24. North Korea 149 points
Pot 4 :
25. Kyrgyzstan 146 points
26. Syria 141 points
27. Malaysia 137 points
28. Myanmar 137 points
29. Singapore 137 points
30. Indonesia 129 points
31. Hong Kong 127 points
32. Bangladesh 112 points
Pot 5 :
Guam
Laos
6 Winners of the First Round matches
No official news from AFC about what month they will use for seedings of groups for the Group stage , but it is expected that April rankings will be used.
8 groups of 5 in the group stage. First round qualifiers take place in March for the 12 lowest ranked countries. Draw in April .
In April ranking, Philippine will automatically lose big points (about 20 pts, according to my simulation) because our Challenge Cup points earned in March 2013 and March 2012 will lose some of its weight respectively. Therefore, now it's crucial whether AFC uses March ranking or April ranking for group seedings. If they use March ranking, we will definitely be included in Pot 2, but if they use April ranking, it's gonna be 3 way battle of Philippines-Maldives-Afghanistan for 16th spot depending on friendly results in March. FYI, Vietnam is safe and they will be in Pot 2 regardless of which month.
ReplyDeleteyes, Philippines will be down to 199 points in April if they dont play friendlies in March.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter what pot we're in! Bottom line is, the Philippines will not qualify for the World Cup!
ReplyDeleteWe will qualify..
DeleteTrust me we will..
@12:18
DeleteI don't think we will either, but this is not only the 2018 WC qualification but 2019 Asian Cup qualification as well. If we can get in Pot 2 and some luck in the draw follows, it's not impossible to make it to the next round which will give us an Asian Cup ticket. Plus in the next round, we can play 10 more games against Asian top teams and it's gonna be a huge experience. And even if we don't make it to the next round, we will have another chance for Asian Cup as long as we don't finish as the bottom of a group. So, no, it's not all about qualifying for the World Cup.
@15:07
You trust me, you may never be able to see PH qualifying for the WC before you die. Don't rush your dream.
Pot this pot that what does it really mean and is it really important to be in pot 2? Can someone care to explain?
ReplyDeleteNo one? Any takers?
DeleteIf you're asking that in the same sense as Anon @12:18, it's already explained above so check that out. And if you literally have no idea what's good to be in higher pot, well here you go.
DeleteOne team from each of the five pots will be drawn into a group. So if you're in pot 2, you'll have teams from pot 1,3,4,5 in your group, and if you're in pot 3, you'll have pot 1,2,4,5 teams. Now compare the general quality of the teams in pot 2 and 3. Most teams in pot 2 are too strong for azkals, while many teams in pot 3 are fairly beatable. When you consider the fact that you have to be at least runner up of a group to advance to the next round, this can be a decisive factor. It's as simple as that.
Of course, it also depends on luck of the draw. Even if you manage to get in pot 2, North Korea from pot 3 and Syria from pot 4 can be drawn into your group and then you're screwed. And even if you end up in pot 3, you can still have an awesome luck to meet Vietnam from pot 2 and Bangladesh from pot 4 and you'll have much higher chance in this case.
So pot alone doesn't decide anything, but probabilistically speaking, it's no doubt a huge difference to be in pot 2 and pot 3.