Cast Finalized for AFC Asian Qualifiers

Vietnam is the newcomer, as the Southeast Asian side joined 11 teams who have featured at this stage of FIFA World Cup qualifying before.

All 12 teams also confirmed their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 by qualifying for the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.

Syria, who secured its position as Group A winner after a fantastic run of seven consecutive wins, was joined by China PR with the East Asian advancing as one of the five best runners-up.

China PR confirmed its place after defeating Syria 3-1 on Tuesday, with Li Tie's side making it four wins out of four since the resumption of the second round of the Asian Qualifiers.

Australia, who had sealed its place in the final round on the Road to Qatar 2022 and its berth in the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals last week, completed its Group B campaign with a 1-0 win over Jordan on Tuesday.

From Group C, Iran also completed a fine return to form as it made it four wins out of four since the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers, defeating Iraq 1-0 to seal the top spot.

Good news for Iraq was that it too advanced as one of the best runners-up, thanks to its consistency throughout the second round of the Asian Qualifiers.

Saudi Arabia was at its mercurial best as it confirmed top spot in Group D with an emphatic 3-0 win over Uzbekistan, a result which meant the Central Asian side's FIFA World Cup dream came to an end.

Oman's fabulous campaign was rewarded with Branko Ivankovic's side advancing from Group E as one of the best five runners-up, with the West Asian defeating Bangladesh 3-0 on Tuesday to complete its campaign with an impressive 18 points.

Group E winner Qatar had already secured its place in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Finals as host.

Japan was another team to complete its second round campaign with a perfect record of eight wins, with Hajime Moriyasu's side defeating Kyrgyz Republic 5-1 in its final Group F tie on Tuesday and the Samurai Blue will now concentrate on qualifying for its seventh successive FIFA World Cup Finals.

Group G saw the United Arab Emirates cap its resurgence with a thrilling 3-2 win over Vietnam to finish top, with the Southeast Asian side also rewarded for its fine form by sealing a spot in the final round as one of the best runners-up.

Korea Republic, meanwhile, had completed its Group H campaign on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Lebanon and the Taeguk Warriors will now look forward to sealing a place in the FIFA World Cup Finals for the 10th consecutive edition.

Good news for Lebanon was that it sealed the fifth and final spot available for the best runners-up, the-afc.com reported.