The draw for the AFC first group phase of qualifiers for the 2018 Men’s World Cup was held on TUE 14 APR 2015, and there are some matchups that will seem familiar. Korea Rep and Lebanon, who played four times in the 2014 qualifiers, will have two more matches against one another in Group G. Australia and Jordan, drawn together in Group B, also met in the previous qualifying campaign.

Though each group has a clear favourite, it is perhaps the United Arab Emirates in Group A who will face the stiffest challenge, having to meet Saudi Arabia and Palestine. By contrast, Japan and Korea Rep will fancy their chances in Groups E and G respectively.

The round kicks off on THU 11 JUN 2015 and completes on TUE 29 MAR 2016. The top team in each group, plus the four best second placed sides, will move on to the second group phase. The same twelve teams will also qualify for the 2019 Men’s Asian Cup.

• Group A: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Timor-Leste, Malaysia
• Group B: Australia, Jordan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh
• Group C: China PR, Qatar, Maldives, Bhutan, Hong Kong
• Group D: Iran, Oman, India, Turkmenistan, Guam
• Group E: Japan, Syria, Afghanistan, Singapore, Cambodia
• Group F: Iraq, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei
• Group G: Korea Rep, Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, Laos
• Group H: Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Philippines, Korea DPR, Yemen