Bahrain came out attacking against Uzbekistan in the second leg of their AFC playoff on WED 12 OCT 2005, and despite never finding net, they also kept the Uzbeks off the scoreboard. With a 0-0 result on the day and a 1-1 aggregate scoreline, Bahrain moved through on away goals, 1-0, thanks to Talal MOHAMED's goal in the first leg in Tashkent. Trinidad-Tobago will face Bahrain in the AFC/CONCACAF playoff.

The last of the usual suspects qualified in the CONCACAF final round on SAT 08 OCT 2005. more...

In a unique case, the first leg of the AFC playoff has been annulled by the FIFA World Cup Organising Committee. The match, which Uzbekistan won 1-0 over Bahrain in Tashkent, was marred by controversy in the 39th minute when referee Toshimitsu YOSHIDA ruled that an Uzbek player had encroached on the area during Server DJEPAROV's penalty kick. The problem, however, was that Yoshida failed to order a retake, as the Laws of the Game dictate, and instead awarded Bahrain a free kick. Hence, both legs of the playoff will now be pushed back, the first leg due in Tashkent on SAT 08 OCT 2005 and the second leg in Manama on WED 12 OCT 2005.

Bahrain's playoff opponents were revealed in the AFC third round WED 17 AUG 2005. more...

All four automatic Men's World Cup berths were secured in the AFC third round on WED 08 JUN 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on FRI 03 JUN 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on WED 30 MAR 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on FRI 25 MAR 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on WED 09 FEB 2005. more...

The eight surviving Asian teams were drawn into their AFC third round groups on THU 09 DEC 2004. Group 1 features Korea Rep, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan, whilst Group 2 will involve Bahrain, Iran, Japan, and Korea DPR. The matches will be contested between WED 09 FEB-WED 17 AUG 2005, with the top two in each group qualifying for Germany 2006. The third placed teams must then face one another for the right to contest the AFC/CONCACAF playoff.

The teams in the AFC third round are Bahrain, Iran, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Rep, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. They will be drawn into two groups of four on THU 09 DEC 2004. In the CONCACAF final round, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, and the United States will play in a single group. Both rounds begin on WED 09 FEB 2005.

A quick summary of action around the AFC second round on WED 13 OCT 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC second round on WED 08 SEP 2004. more...

The 2004 AFC Asian Cup final between China PR and Japan will cap off a wild tournament that has seen its share of lopsided scorelines as well as hotly contested matches. Surprising results in the group phase included Uzbekistan's finish as the only team to win all three matches, each by 1-0 margins. In the same group, Saudi Arabia flamed out with a single point, sacking coach Gerard VAN DER LEM immediately after the last match. In one quarterfinal, China PR dismissed Iraq 3-0; the next day Ali KARIMI scored a hat trick to lead Iran to a 4-3 win over Korea Rep. China PR won the semifinal between the teams on penalties after Yahya GOLMOHAMMADI's attempt was saved easily by Chinese keeper LIU Yunfei. The Bahrain-Japan semifinal was another thrilling encounter as Japan, down a goal and down a man at halftime, mounted a furious fightback to move in front. After falling behind again with five minutes left, Yuji NAKAZAWA equalised in the 90th minute with a diving header to force overtime. Keiji TAMADA scored three minutes into overtime, and although A'ala HUBAIL had a golden opportunity to tie it yet again, Japan were able to hold on for the memorable 4-3 win. The China PR-Japan final is in Beijing at 12:00 UTC on SAT 07 AUG 2004.