The AFC final round of qualifiers for the 2022 Men’s World Cup opened with the first two matches for each team, played THU 02-TUE 07 SEP 2021.

Australia and Saudi Arabia opened Group B with two victories each. The Socceroos defeated China PR 3-0 and Vietnam 1-0. The Saudis faced an early deficit to Vietnam after an early goal by NGUYEN Quang Hai, but after a second half red card to DO Duy Manh, Saudi Arabia roared back to a 3-1 victory. A 1-0 win over Oman sees the Saudis tied atop Group B, just behind Australia on goal difference.

In Group A, only Iran have opened with a perfect six points, as Alireza JAHANBAKHSH scored the only goal in a win over Syria, followed by the opener in a 3-0 defeat of Iraq. For their part, the Iraqi squad opened their campaign by holding group co-favourites Korea Rep to a goalless draw.

The final round continues with eight more matches for each team, wrapping up on TUE 29 MAR 2022. The top two teams in each group qualify for Qatar 2022, and the third placed teams will face off in a single match playoff. The winner of that match will move on to the playoffs to face a team from another confederation over two legs.