As the 36-team Asian qualifying tournament is in full swing, traditional powerhouses such as Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia have already locked up their places two rounds ahead of schedule, and with a six-point lead in the standings, it seems as if the dawn of victory is just around the corner. With the expansion of the Asian zone quota to 8.5, including Australia, a number of top Asian teams also successfully among the World Cup final round, this change undoubtedly brings new vitality to the Asian soccer.
Looking back over the last century, Australia has only ever been to one World Cup final, when in 2006 the AFA decided to leave the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a decision that avoided a play-off against the South American champions. Since then, Australia has enjoyed unprecedented "benefits" on the World Cup stage, qualifying for five consecutive World Cups, while also squeezing out places for other Asian teams.
Despite the fact that Oceania will have a through slot at the next World Cup, Australia remains firmly in the AFC and in contention for the Asian qualifiers.
In the group stage, Australia was placed in the same group with Palestine, Lebanon and Bangladesh. With its superior strength, Australia swept Bangladesh 7-0 at home in the first round, and won 1-0 on the road against Palestine in the second round, accumulating an 8-0 record in the two matches and leading the group standings with a six-point advantage. While Palestine and Lebanon in the same group are significantly behind, Australia is expected to lock the qualification in two rounds ahead of schedule.
Australia's strong performance has virtually locked up a spot in the tournament, and with the team's history on the line for a seventh World Cup final, it will be difficult for other opponents to stem the tide.
Meanwhile, Palestine, Lebanon and Bangladesh, who are in the same group as Australia, will compete fiercely for the last promotion place. From the first two rounds of matches, second-ranked Palestine's strength is limited, while Lebanon's overall strength from the previous Top 12 tournament has dropped significantly. Facing Bangladesh, ranked 183rd in the world, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw, two consecutive draws. Unsurprisingly, the three teams will engage in a do-or-die battle in the final round for a place in the lineup.
It is worth mentioning that the national soccer team was not able to be grouped with the weaker Lebanon in the group stage, which is undoubtedly an "unfortunate". However, they were placed in the same bracket with the stronger Thailand, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of getting out of the tournament.
Imagine if the national soccer team is in the same group with Australia, Lebanon and Bangladesh, although Australia is inevitably the opponent, the national soccer team has at least 80% probability to win the other two matches against Lebanon and Bangladesh, thus locking the top two places in the group.
According to the schedule, the national soccer team will play back-to-back matches against its World Qualifier Southeast Asian rival Singapore in March next year. The team's performance will have a direct impact on its promotion prospects.
