In the hotly contested Asian zone of the World Qualifiers, fierce competition is about to begin, with a total of 4.5 final round spots going to these teams. Here are the detailed rules for promotion and ranking:
In accordance with the rules, the 12 Asian teams in the third stage have been cleverly divided into two groups of six teams each to compete. After 10 rounds of 10 matches, the top two teams from each group will be awarded directly to the
World Cup
Tickets for the final round. The third place finishers from both groups will have to compete in the fourth stage, which will be decided in a one-game match, with the venue and home and away order to be revealed at the end of the third stage.
The Asian champions who successfully advance to the fourth stage will be challenged to an Intercontinental Play-Off, where they will face off against teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America and Oceania. The winners will also qualify for a valuable final round.
The group standings for the 12-team tournament will strictly follow the FIFA 2022
World Cup
Clauses 20.4 and 20.6 of the Qualifier Rules.
The ranking rules are as follows:
1. Points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss)
2. Total goal difference in the group stage
3. Total number of goals scored in the group stage
4. Points between teams with the same score in the group stage
5. Goal difference between teams with the same number of points in a group game
6. Number of goals scored between teams with the same number of points in a group game
7. Number of away goals scored between teams with the same points in the group stage (in the event of a home-and-away system)
8. Fair play points (yellow card deduction, red card deduction)
9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Committee
Note: In case of equal ranked teams in different groups, comparisons have to be made to determine advancement to the next stage, based on the way the competition is conducted and subject to the agreement of FIFA (Rule 20.8).
In the knockout system, the team with the highest total score advances to the next round. In the event of a tie in the two rounds, the team with the most away goals advances based on the away goals rule, i.e., the team with the most away goals. If the number of away goals is also the same, a 30-minute extra time is played, divided into a 15-minute first half and a 15-minute second half. The same away goals rule applies in extra time. If a goal is scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still tied, the visiting team advances on the basis of away goals. If no goals are scored in extra time, the winner will be decided by penalty kicks.
