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Opinion
The Socceroos are preparing for the third round World Cup Qualification draw. They are set to find out their next round opponents.
The draw will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tomorrow at 3pm MST (5pm AEST) as 12 AFC teams set to be decided on pots in two groups.
I’ve heard that the draw will begin with pot 6 with the first and second balls drawn from each pot and respectively placed in Group A and B until all the way to pot 1.
What pot are the Socceroos are in?
The Socceroos are currently in pot 2.
What are the draws?
Pot 1: Japan and Iran
Pot 2: Australia and South Korea
Pot 3: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
Pot 4: Iraq and China
Pot 5: Oman and Syria
Pot 6: Vietnam and Lebanon
Australia will be seeded three.
The good news is that we avoid drawing with South Korea as we are in the same pot with them.
But tough draws with Japan and Saudi Arabia are still possible and a draw with Iran will mean redemption for Australian football after that infamous second leg play-off in 1997 where we blew a 2-0 lead at a packed MCG
A big thanks to serial pest Peter Hore for ruining that night for us, causing delays which handed the Iranians most of the momentum late in the second-half to come back and win the tie on away goals after a 2-2 draw and book their spot at the 1998 World Cup in France.
It’s unsure whether will be able to host some games or be hubs again but hopefully the FFA will be able to negotiate with the Australian Government if they allow the boys to play our games at home.
Where do we need to finish to qualify?
We must finish in the top two of the group to qualify for the World Cup automatically, but if we finish third which we should avoid, the Socceroos will go through the fourth round and play those play-offs again like the last World Cup Qualification.
They will take on another third placed nation in the other group and it will be a single match instead of a two-legged tie because of Covid-19 delaying the dates of the draw and might be played in a neutral ground.
The winner of that will play in the inter-confederation play-offs and could be possibly playing against nations from CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America) or OFC (Oceania) as the play-off draws will be held later.
What is the schedule for this round?
The road to Qatar will start on second of September.
Md1: 2 September 2021
Md2: 7 September 2021
Md3: 7 October 2021
Md4: 12 October 2021
Md5: 11 November 2021
Md6: 16 November 2021
Md7: 27 January 2022
Md8: 1 February 2022
Md9: 24 March 2022
Md10: 29 March 2022
How to watch the draws?
You can watch the draws live on My Football YouTube channel, the Socceroos Facebook page and FTBL Australia. The draws will start at 5pm AEST.
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