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Jonathan White

China will have to be better than Japan and Australia to reach the Fifa World Cup in Qatar next year after being drawn with the Asian heavyweights on Thursday.
It means that Li Tie’s side missed out on playing Iran and South Korea, the other teams in the top two pots for the AFC Asian qualifiers “Road to Qatar”.
However, with the 12 best teams in Asia left, there was never going to be an easy ride.
China have been drawn in group B with Saudi Arabia, Oman and Vietnam, as well as Japan and Australia – who have qualified for the last six and four World Cups, respectively.

THE ROAD TO QATAR 2022 BEGINS

Presenting the #AsianQualifiers Final Round Draw Results! ️

Which teams will make it through? Let us know ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ENzZ8nS5ai
— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) July 1, 2021

“It’s a very good group,” said China head coach Li Tie. “We will try our best.”
Li’s side won their final four games in the previous stage to qualify for the third round.
China’s World Cup dream alive as players grab US$2 million bonus
“Due to the pandemic for almost two years, we did not play,” Li said, having only been in charge for those final four qualifiers, despite taking charge of the side for the EAFF Finals in December, 2019.
He added that he hopes for more games before the qualifying campaign resumes and called the fans “a great motivation”.

China NT's Plan for the FIFA World Cup qualifying AFC 3rd Round(2/2): As they are likely to stay in bubbles for 3 months, playing international friendly is possible. CFA may ask to swap home-away match with some rivals in the group to reduce the frequency of international travel. pic.twitter.com/kTAHqI2zUj
— Titan Sports Plus (@titan_plus) June 29, 2021

Australia’s head coach, Graham Arnold, said the Socceroos do not fear away trips.
“I think [that’s] what we learned in the second phase,” Arnold said, “where we had to play seven out of eight games away from home, and we won all eight games.”
He said his side “showed resilience” in those Covid-19-disrupted matches and the team will benefit from the squad depth of the younger players appearing at Tokyo 2020 this month.
Who are the foreign-born footballers firing China’s World Cup dream?
“This group shows you are going to need a good amount of depth in your squad,” he said. “All we can do is focus on ourselves.”
Group A sees Iran, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon drawn together.
The top two teams in each group qualify automatically with the two third-placed teams playing off for a chance to win the final qualifying berth in an intercontinental play-off.
China have only qualified for one Fifa World Cup, the 2002 edition held in Japan and South Korea, but they will host the next AFC Asian Cup in 2023.


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China’s players greet their fans after the AFC Asian Cup game against Thailand in 2019. Photo: AP

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China’s Wu Lei of China in action in the group A match against Syria. Photo: Xinhua

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China's Brazilian-born forward Elkeson, also known as Ai Kesen, celebrates with a Chinese national flag at the end of the Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying win over Maldives in September, 2019. Photo: AFP

China's Brazilian-born forward Elkeson (R), Chinese name Ai Kesen, fights for the ball during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup second round Group A qualification football match between Maldives and Chian at Rasmee Dhandu National Stadium in Male on September 10, 2019. (Photo by Ahmed SHURAU / AFP)

(200102) -- BEIJING, Jan. 2, 2020 (Xinhua) -- File photo taken on Nov. 6, 2019 shows Li Tie, head coach of China, gestures during the training session ahead of 2019 East Asian Cup in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has appointed 42-year-old Li Tie as the head coach of the country's national team on a permanent basis. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

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Brazil’s Ronaldo vies for the ball with China’s Du Wei and Xu Yunlong at the 2002 Fifa World Cup. Photo: AFP

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero took a selfie with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister David Cameron at the Manchester City football academy.

China's Brazilian-born forward Elkeson, Chinese name Ai Kesen, celebrates with a Chinese national flag at the end of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup second round Group A qualification football match between Maldives and Chian at Rasmee Dhandu National Stadium in Male on September 10, 2019. (Photo by Ahmed SHURAU / AFP)

(FILES) This 07 October 2001 photo shows Chinese players celebrating on the pitch at the Wulihe Stadium in Shenyang, northeast China, after a historic 1-0 victory over Oman to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. China's national players are leading a chorus of condemnation 15 February 2007 over the destruction of the stadium where the team qualified for the 2002 World Cup, still its first and only time, after it was flattened to make way for a shopping mall. Aware of the sensitivities, the government in Liaoning province imposed a blanket ban in the media of the stadium's destruction, but local emotions still ran high. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN

Cuban President Fidel Castro (L) and Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona play with a ball during an interview in La Havana, in this October 26, 2005 file photo. REUTERS/Canal 13/Handout/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

epa07316038 Sardar Azmoun (Front) of Islamic Republic of Iran in action to score second goal during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter final round match between China and Islamic Republic of Iran in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 24 January 2019. EPA-EFE/ALI HAIDER

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Qatar 2022 qualifiers see Li Tie’s side miss out on Iran and South Korea but odds against them to finish in top two
Third-placed teams in group stage will go to play-off for a final chance to make it to Qatar 2022



Qatar 2022 qualifiers see Li Tie’s side miss out on Iran and South Korea but odds against them to finish in top two of group B.


Asian Football Confederation (AFC)

Chinese Football Association (CFA)

Qatar 2022: Japan and Australia stand in way of China’s World Cup dream

Qatar 2022 qualifiers see Li Tie’s side miss out on Iran and South Korea but odds against them to finish in top two Third-placed teams in group stage will go to play-off for a final chance to make it to Qatar 2022

Qatar 2022 qualifiers see Li Tie’s side miss out on Iran and South Korea but odds against them to finish in top two

Third-placed teams in group stage will go to play-off for a final chance to make it to Qatar 2022