2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification - Third Round

src: i.ytimg.com

The third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played from 26 March 2017 to 27 March 2018.

Video 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification - Third Round

Format

A total of 24 teams (16 teams which advanced from the second round and eight teams which advanced from the play-off round) compete in the third round to compete for the final 12 slots in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Since the hosts United Arab Emirates advanced to the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, the automatic slot for the hosts is no longer necessary.

The 24 teams were divided into six groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group will qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, where they are joined by the 12 teams which qualified directly from the second round.

Maps 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification - Third Round

Qualified teams

Teams qualified from second round

Notes

Teams qualified from play-off round

Teams qualified from Solidarity Cup

Due to the withdrawal of Guam and the suspension of Kuwait, the AFC invited both Nepal and Macau, the top two teams of the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup, to re-enter 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification as replacements in order to maintain 24 teams in the third round of the competition.

src: www.the-afc.com

Draw

The draw for the third round was held on 23 January 2017, 16:00 GST (UTC+4), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was initially scheduled for 18 January 2017, but was delayed.

The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four. They were seeded using the January 2017 FIFA World Rankings (indicated in parentheses below).

The national teams which eventually qualified are presented in bold.

src: i.ytimg.com

Schedule

The schedule of each matchday is as follows.

src: www.the-afc.com

Groups

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order (Regulations Article 9.3):

1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
5. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying criteria 1 to 4, a subset of teams are still tied, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
6. Goal difference in all group matches;
7. Goals scored in all group matches;
8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
9. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
10. Drawing of lots.

Group A

---

---

---

---

---

---

Group B

---

---

---

---

---

---

Group C

---

---

---

---

---

Group D

---

---

---

---

---

Group E

---

---

---

---

---

Group F

---

---

---

---

---

src: i.ytimg.com

Goalscorers

There were 243 goals scored in 72 matches, for an average of 3.38 goals per match.

8 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: the-afc.com

src: i.ytimg.com

Notes

src: pbs.twimg.com

References

src: i.ytimg.com

External links

• AFC Asian Cup, the-AFC.com

Source of article : Wikipedia