On May 27, the AFC officially announced that South Korea had managed to leapfrog to the top of Group H in light of North Korea's record in the first five rounds of the World Qualifying Tournament being canceled.
According to the rules for qualification in the Asian zone of the World Qualifying Tournament, there would have been eight group leaders and four group second-place finishers with the best results to qualify. With North Korea's record nullified, the other groups will play the 2nd vs. 5th place match after the final round's rankings are determined to maintain the fairness of the results.
After a series of adjustments, the four best second-place team performers will determine the final rankings based on the following criteria:
1. First place in the group standings;
2. Leads the group in total goal difference;
3. The highest total number of goals scored by the group;
4. Consideration of fair play points (red and yellow card counting factors).
