Kuala Lumpur: The group-stage draw for the AFC Asian Cup 2019 UAE takes place on May 4. We know the identities of 24 teams and it’s time to turn our attentions to the permutations on offer.
As it stands, here is the current seeding with one nation from each pot to be drawn to make six groups of four teams, with the top two and four best third-placed teams advancing into the final 16 of the competition.
Pot 1: United Arab Emirates, Iran, Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2: China PR, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3: Krygyz Republic, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4: DPR Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
FIFA’s Top Ranked
IFA’s Top Ranked
IR Iran (#1), China PR (#5), Kyrgyz Republic (#6), DPR Korea (#18)
A contentious one but, according to the latest FIFA Ranking (the numbers in brackets represent their standing amongst AFC Member Associations), these five comprise the strongest possible outcome from the draw and therefore present the toughest group on paper.
Defending champions Australia surprisingly miss out due to their lower FIFA Ranking, second amongst AFC MAs.
AFC Asian Cup Wins
IR Iran (37 wins), China PR (20 wins), Oman (2 wins), Bahrain (4 wins)
Rankings are all very well, but when it comes to the history of the tournament, these five teams represent the most successful group draw in terms of matches won at the continental championship.
They are also the combination of teams with the most goals scored, with a cumulative 232 AFC Asian Cup strikes to their name.