The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is just around the corner. It will be only the second edition of the tournament that has been held solely in Asia, with the first being in 2002 when South Korea and Japan played hosts to the world.
Here is a look at the five Asian countries competing in this year’s tournament and what their prospects look like in the competition.
Iran
This will be Iran’s sixth appearance at the World Cup finals. They were eliminated in the group stages of the 2014 and 2018 editions. Four years ago, they won their second game at a World Cup when they beat Morocco 1-0 thanks to a 95th-minute goal.
Iran has been drawn in the same group as England, the USA, and Wales this year. As of the 29th of September, they are the underdogs of those four teams in the outright World Cup betting markets at odds of 4/1 to progress into the last 16 of the competition.
Former Real Madrid head coach Carlos Queiroz oversees the team. He will be hoping Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Taremi, and Sardar Azmoun, three players who feature in Europe, can help them get the goals they need to have a good tournament.
Japan
Japan are regular at the World Cup. This will be the seventh consecutive renewal of the international event that Samurai Blue will compete in. They won five games in the finals in that period.
In Russia in 2018, Japan finished second behind Colombia in Group H. They were then eliminated in the last 16 by Belgium. They led 2-0 in that game before the European side came back to prevail 3-2. The opening knockout round is likely to be the aim once again in 2022.
Former Liverpool player Takumi Minamino is one of the most recognisable players in the Japan squad. The midfielder now features for Monaco in Ligue 1, and he has scored 17 goals for his country in 43 appearances.
Qatar
As hosts of the sports tournament, Qatar was given an automatic entry into the draw this year. It will be their first appearance at the World Cup. At 51st place in the FIFA world rankings, they are the second lowest ranked team in the tournament.
Qatar was successful in the Asian Cup in 2019, beating Japan 3-1 in the final in the UAE. They have had wins over Bulgaria and Ghana this year, while in their last friendly, they drew 2-2 with Chile.
Home advantage will help Qatar, but they are one of the biggest underdogs in the tournament so very little will be expected from them at the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia
In their five appearances at the World Cup finals, Saudi Arabia has only once made their last 16. They did so in 1994 in the USA before losing to Sweden on their debut in the tournament.
The three-time Asian Cup winners finished top of their qualification group to book their spot in Qatar. They finished ahead of Japan and Australia, winning seven of their 10 matches in a strong qualifying campaign.
Saudi Arabia will have to face Argentina, Mexico, and Poland in Group C at this year’s World Cup. They have been drawn into one of the toughest groups in the competition, which has reduced their prospects of making it through to the last 16 once again.
South Korea
South Korea lost just one game as they qualified from Group A in their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup. They finished second behind Iran with 24 points. Since taking over in 2018, Portuguese coach Paulo Bento has helped the country produce some excellent results.
In 2022, victories have come over Iceland, Iran, Chile, Egypt, and Cameroon. They travel to Qatar having lost just one of their last eight fixtures.
With a group with includes Ghana, Portugal, and Uruguay, many pundits are of the opinion that South Korea have a good chance of making it through to the knockout stages at the very least.
The furthest an Asian country has gone at a World Cup is the semi-finals. South Korea managed that feat in 2002 as the host. All five of the above AFC teams will be hoping to achieve something similar this year.
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