Only 20 teams are left in Asian qualifying for the World Cup. In round three, the teams are split into five groups of four and will play each group member home and away, starting Sept. 2nd. The top two finishers in each group will advance to the fourth round, where the 10 teams will be placed into two groups of five.
Group A is one of the more competitive groups and contains multiple compelling story-lines. Two of the nations, China and Iraq, have recently hired new coaches. The two other countries that comprise the group, Jordan and Singapore, are trying to make the World Cup for the first time.
China
FIFA rank: 73
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round three with six points from six games
How they got here: Defeated Laos 13-3 on aggregate in round two
The most populous nation on earth has only qualified for one World Cup in its history, an appearance in 2002 where the side lost all three games without scoring a goal while conceding nine. China's best result in a FIFA tournament has been two second place finishes in the Asian Cup, which came in 1984 and 2004.
China has not been able to duplicate the success of 2002 qualifying during the past two cycles. In 2010 qualifying, the side was eliminated at this point after only obtaining six points in a group that Australia and Qatar advanced from while fellow Group A member in Iraq finished one point ahead of China for third place.
In the 2011 Asian Cup, China failed to advance out of a fairly weak group. After beating Kuwait 2-0 to start the tournament, the Chinese fell 2-0 to Qatar and drew 2-2 Uzbekistan to finish third in the group with four points. The tournament was the beginning of the end for head coach Gao Hongbo who, despite leading the team to an easy 13-3 aggregate victory over Laos in round two of qualifying, was replaced by José Antonio Camacho in August.
Camacho is the former manager of Real Madrid, Benfica, Sevilla and Espanyol. He was also the coach of the Spanish national team from 1998 to 2002 where he led the team to a quarterfinal appearance in the 2002 World Cup. Camacho also played in two World Cups as a left-back for Spain in 1982 and 1986 and brings loads of international experience to the job. However, it will be a daunting task to guide China to the finals yet again.
Since the Asian Cup disappointment, China has been on a nice run of form as of late. In June the team defeated Asian Cup semifinalist Uzbekistan 1-0 and 2010 World Cup participant North Korea 2-0. In addition to its two qualifying wins in July, the Chinese defeated CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinalist Jamaica 1-0 on Aug. 10th in preparation for the third round of qualifying.
The national team is composed of almost all players from the domestic league, the Chinese Super League. Here is China's squad for the two upcoming qualifying matches.
Position Name Club Age App Gls
GK Yang Zhi Beijing Guoan 28 28 0
GK Zeng Cheng Henan Jianye 24 11 0
GK Zhang Lie Shaanxi Chanba 29 2 0
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DF Li Weifeng Tianjin Teda 32 106 13
DF Du Wei (C) Hangzhou Greentown 29 61 4
DF Sun Xiang Guangzhou Evergrande 29 51 4
DF Rong Hao Hangzhou Greentown 24 35 0
DF Feng Xiaoting Guangzhou Evergrande 25 25 0
DF Liu Jianye Jiangsu Sainty 24 19 0
DF Li Xuepeng Dalian Shide 22 9 0
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MF Zheng Zhi Guangzhou Evergrande 30 53 12
MF Zhao Xuri Shaanxi Chanba 25 44 1
MF Hao Junmin Shandong Luneng 24 37 8
MF Yang Hao Guangzhou Evergrande 28 31 2
MF Deng Zhuoxiang Shandong Luneng 22 29 7
MF Yu Hai Shaanxi Chanba 24 27 7
MF Huang Bowen Jeonbuk Hyundai 24 19 2
MF Chen Tao Tianjin Teda 26 13 2
MF Feng Renliang Shanghai Shenhua 22 10 0
MF Huang Xiyang Henan Jianye 26 0 0
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FW Qu Bo Shaanxi Chanba 30 71 18
FW Gao Lin Guangzhou Evergrande 25 47 12
FW Yang Xu Liaoning Whowin 24 16 9
FW Yu Dabao Tianjin Teda 23 2 0
It is an experienced side for Camacho's first two games in charge, led by Li Weifeng who has the most caps in Chinese history. Zheng Zhi is the anchor in midfield while up front Yang Xu scored four goals in the second round against Laos.
China has the potential to win this group and are one of the favorites. On the other hand, they could also come in third place and fail to advance. The key will be how quickly Camacho can implement his system and get the players to understand it.
Iraq
FIFA rank: 108
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round three with seven points from six games
How they got here: Defeated Yemen 2-0 on aggregate in round two
The 2007 Asian Cup champions have qualified for one World Cup, the 1986 edition held in Mexico. Iraq lost all three games by one goal in the tournament and finished bottom of its group.
Iraq was in the same group as China during this stage in 2010 qualifying, but the two nations failed to advance, losing out to Australia and Qatar. Iraq finished third in the group with seven points and just missed advancing. Going into the final match, Iraq and Qatar were tied on seven points and squared off against each other. Unfortunately for Iraq, Qatar won 1-0 and moved onward.
In this year's Asian Cup, Iraq placed second in group D with six points. An opening 2-1 loss to eventual group winner Iran did not stop the Iraqis from advancing. 1-0 wins over the U.A.E and North Korea followed and Iraq qualified to the quarterfinals. There, the side took Australia to extra time before the Aussies won the match courtesy of a 118th minute goal by Harry Kewell.
In the second round of qualifying, the Iraqis were given one of the tougher opponents for a higher ranked team in Yemen. A 2-0 win in the first leg was enough to see them advance as they held Yemen scoreless throughout both legs. As preparation for the beginning of the third round, Iraq squared off against group E member Qatar in Doha on Aug. 19th. The away side came away with a nice 1-0 win courtesy of a goal from Salam Shakir.
Like China, Iraq also has a new coach in charge of the program. Brazilian great Zico has just agreed to a deal to coach the national team. As a player, Zico scored 52 goals for Brazil and is a former World Player of the Year winner. As a coach, he has coached Japan at the 2006 World Cup and also managed Olympiakos and CSKA Moscow.
The national team players generally play in the domestic league or in neighboring Iran. Several members including captain Younis Mahmoud play in Qatar. Iraq's experience comes from its midfield, Nashat Akram has over 100 caps for the national side while Hawar Mulla Mohammed and Mahdi Karim are also key contributors. Offensively the Iraqis have some firepower. Mahmoud has 34 international goals and fellow forwards Mustafa Karim and Alaa Abdul-Zahra have plenty of talent. Abdul-Zahra has been in excellent form for the national team of late with four goals since the Asian Cup.
Zico does not have a lot of time to get acclimated to the job and Iraq's first game on Sept. 2nd against Jordan is incredibly important in determining who advances out of the group. Iraq has the ability to win the group, but will likely be fighting for the second spot.
Jordan
FIFA rank: 91
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round three with seven points from six games
How they got here: Defeated Nepal 10-1 on aggregate in round two
One of the more underrated teams in Asia at the current moment, Jordan has quietly had a very successful year so far. The side does not have a strong football tradition, having never qualified for a World Cup and only reaching two Asian Cups, but are currently trying to change that.
The side had a great performance at the Asian Cup earlier this year. In its first game, Jordan almost upset eventual tournament winner Japan if it were not for a 92nd minute equalizer by the Japanese. The side followed up that result with wins over traditional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, 1-0 and Syria by the score of 2-1. Jordan qualified for the quarterfinals were they succumbed to group A winner Uzbekistan 2-1.
In 2010 qualifying Jordan finished third in its group during round three, losing out on advancing to North and South Korea. The side only picked up one point in four matches against the two eventual World Cup finalists and its lone wins were against bottom side Turkmenistan.
Jordan is prepping for its upcoming qualifiers with two friendlies. The first one took place on Aug. 22nd against Tunisia and ended in a 3-3, a good result against a typically strong African team. The second friendly match will take place on Aug. 27th and will see Jordan take on group E member Indonesia.
In the second round, Jordan had an easy time with Nepal, defeating them 9-0 in the first leg. The nine-goal win was the biggest of the round. It left nothing to be decided in the second leg where Jordan sent out a weakened squad and still managed to come away with a 1-1 draw and a hefty aggregate victory.
The national team is made up of mostly members from the domestic league. Al-Wahdat is the strongest team in the league having won the title four of the past five seasons. The club's rival Al-Faisaly Club won the league in 2010 and hold the record for most titles with 31. The two club teams have many players called into the national side. Hassan Abdel Fattah plays for Al-Wahdat and scored four goals in the 9-0 victory over Nepal.
Jordan qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup back in 2007 and a lot of those players have begun to step into the senior team. The side's performance at the Asian Cup and 9-0 drubbing of Nepal will raise confidence levels of the players as they enter the third round. Jordan may potentially win the group, but they also could find themselves looking up at two teams and fail to advance.
Singapore
FIFA rank: 131
2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in round three with six points from six games
How they got here: Defeated Malaysia 6-4 on aggregate in round two
Singapore has never qualified for a World Cup and has only played in one Asian Cup, way back in 1984. However, Singapore is one of several Southeast Asian nations that is making a concentrated effort to improve its national team.
The year 2010 was a disappointing one for Singapore. They failed to advance out of the group stage of the 10-team AFF Suzuki Cup which features national teams of Southeast Asia. In the tournament's group stage, Singapore surprisingly drew with the Philippines and lost to host nation Vietnam with its lone win coming against Myanmar. Singapore had won this tournament three times in the past.
In qualifying for this year's Asian Cup, Singapore finished in last place in its qualifying group. In a group that featured qualifying teams Iran and Jordan as well as Thailand, Singapore's only points were wins over Jordan and Thailand. The low point came at the beginning of qualifying, a 6-0 defeat to Iran.
Singapore reached this stage of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, where they were placed in a group composed of Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. The side's only wins in the round were both games against Lebanon, the four other matches were losses and they failed to advance.
In round two of qualifying in July, Singapore had a tough time with neighbor Malaysia. The first leg saw the side escape with a 5-3 home victory, but leave them in precarious position having conceded three away goals. However, the defense held firm in the away leg and came away with a 1-1 draw.
Radojko Avramović has been the coach of the Singapore national team since 2003. Prior to the job, he was the coach of Kuwait in 2002. After the poor performance of the side in 2010, Avramović has attempted to revamp the team for 2011 and the World Cup qualifiers.
Every member of the squad plays their club football in the domestic league, the S-League. Aleksandar Đurić, a 41 year-old, scored two goals for the national side in the first leg against Malaysia. Shi Jiayi, a midfielder, scored a goal in each leg in the second round. Singapore also has a friendly coming up. On August 24th they will travel to Thailand to take on the group D side.
Singapore is a long shot to advance out of the group, however they were blessed with one of the weaker groups of this round. The team will be desperate to redeem themselves for its poor performance in 2010 and will pose a threat to the other group members, although Singapore will likely finish at the foot of the group.
Prediction
Any one of three teams can win this group and it will come down to who can pick up points away from home. Another key factor will be how quickly China and Iraq can adapt to new coaches taking over the reigns. This group might be the toughest to call in this round. In the end, Jordan and China will emerge as the top two sides, barely besting the Iraqis.
1. Jordan
2. China
3. Iraq
4. Singapore
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