The final draw for the third round of World Cup qualifying in Asia. Photo the-afc.com
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will face two fixtures against northern neighbours China as they attempt to qualify for their first-ever World Cup.
At the draw held by the Asian Football Confederation on Thursday in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, coach Park Hang-seo’s men were placed in Group B to battle it out with five other teams for a spot in the Qatar 2022 tournament.
The draw also pitted them alongside Asian football heavyweights Japan and Australia, as well as a pair of tough Middle Eastern sides in Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Matches are slated to begin this September in a round-robin home and away format. Qualifying is scheduled to wrap up in March next year.
Only the top two teams from each group will qualify for the finals in Qatar, while the two third-place finishers will face each other in a playoff for a spot in the inter-continental playoff and the final place at the World Cup.
Việt Nam reached the third round of qualifying for the first time by coming second in Group G of the second round, knocking out regional rivals Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia along the way.
Việt Nam were seeded in the lowest-ranked pot for the draw as one of the two lowest teams in the FIFA rankings.
China and Việt Nam last played almost 10 years ago in 2012, when the Chinese came away with a 3-0 win from a friendly match.
The likely favourites for the group Japan will perhaps pose the sternest test for captain Quế Ngọc Hải et all.
The two sides last met in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE, where Japan scraped past Việt Nam thanks to a Ritsu Doan penalty.
Japan went on to lose the final by three goals to one against Qatar.
The draw means South Korean coach Park will not face his home country’s team. The 63-year-old was an assistant to legendary Dutch coach Guus Hiddink when South Korea reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2002. — VNS
