Back on the road to Brazil

After a three-month break, the World Cup qualifying campaign resumes on Friday.

With the exception of Europe, which has the small matter of Euro 2012 to get out of the way, all the confederations will have qualifying matches in June, starting with Oceania.

Oceania is staging its Nations Cup tournament for the first time in 10 years and the group stage is doubling up as the second round of World Cup qualifying.

The four teams progressing from the group stage will go forward to the final round of World Cup qualifying, starting in September.

2010 finalists New Zealand will be expected to progress comfortably from Group B, and go on to win the Nations Cup, but it should be a tight battle for the other spot between hosts the Solomon Islands, Fiji, who were originally scheduled to host the event, and Papua New Guinea – something of an unknown quantity given their lack of activity in recent years.

The other group sees New Caledonia and Vanuatu starting as favourites, though Tahiti can’t be ruled out, while it would be a big ask for Samoa to make the next stage.

Africa’s group stage gets underway on Friday with Ghana getting their Group D campaign underway against Lesotho.  A good start will be crucial, with new African champions Zambia also in the group.

Egypt also start on Friday against Mozambique as they attempt to end 24 years of World Cup hurt.

By the end of Sunday, all the African teams will have begun their campaigns with the second round of group games taking place the following weekend.

South America also has a double header over the next two weekends as its closely-fought competition resumes.

Uruguay lead the way and they aim to continue their unbeaten start against Venezuela, before hosting Peru the following weekend.

Argentina have been typically inconsistent and they only have one chance to make an impression on Uruguay this month as they face Ecuador.

At the bottom, Bolivia have two chances to register their first victory, with home games against Chile and Paraguay.

Heading north, CONCACAF’s qualifying competition has reached its third stage with the top seeds entering the competition.

The USA have been in impressive form under new manager Jurgen Klinsmann, highlighted by their recent 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.  They start their campaign next weekend against Antigua & Barbuda as they bid to reach their seventh successive World Cup, which would be a CONCACAF record.

Mexico start off against the other surprise package from Round 2, Guyana, while Costa Rica v El Salvador could prove to be a very important match when we reach the end of this stage.

Group C should be very tight with 2010 qualifiers Honduras joined by Cuba, Canada and Panama, who I tipped to qualify for the finals when the draw was made last summer.   In the coming months, I’ll either look very clever or very stupid but a recent 1-0 win in Jamaica suggests they’re ready to continue their good form.

After two knockout rounds and a group stage. Asia is already onto its final round, which will produce four automatic qualifiers plus one playoff team.  The final stage starts with a big triple-header, allowing someone to get off to a flyer if they can find their form early on.

Australia and Japan, arguably Asia’s top two sides are drawn together in Group B and should qualify fairly comfortably, leaving Iraq, Jordan and Oman battling for third.

The other group could be closer, with South Korea’s form patchy so far and Iran looking like the favourites.  Uzbekistan looked good in the previous round, while Qatar can’t be completely ruled out.  Lebanon have done incredibly well to get this far and face a huge battle to go further but if they can start well they might have an outside chance of a playoff place.

Keep checking World Cup Tracker over the weekend for the latest updates!

Weekend fixtures:

OCEANIA

Friday:  Group A – Samoa v Tahiti, Vanuatu v New Caledonia


Saturday: B – Fiji v New Zealand, Solomon Islands v Papua New Guinea


Sunday: A – Vanuatu v Samoa, Tahiti v New Caledonia


Monday: B – Papua New Guinea v New Zealand, Fiji v Solomon Islands




SOUTH AMERICA


Saturday: Uruguay v Venezuela, Bolivia v Chile, Argentina v Ecuador


Sunday: Peru v Colombia

 

AFRICA


Friday: D – Ghana v Lesotho; G – Egypt v Mozambique


Saturday: A – Central African Rep. v Botswana; B – Sierra Leone v Cape Verde, Tunisia v Equatorial Guinea; C – Gambia v Morocco, Ivory Coast v Tanzania; D – Sudan v Zambia; E – Burkina Faso v Congo; F – Kenya v Malawi; H – Algeria v Rwanda; I – Cameroon v DR Congo; J – Senegal v Liberia


Sunday: A – South Africa v Ethiopia; E – Niger v Gabon; F – Nigeria v Namibia; G – Zimbabwe v Guinea; H – Benin v Mali; I – Togo v Libya; J – Angola v Uganda

 

ASIA


Sunday: A – Uzbekistan v Iran, Lebanon v Qatar; B – Jordan v Iraq, Japan v Oman

Japan and Australia paired in Asian final round

Japan and Australia will continue their battle for dominance in Asia after being drawn in the same group in the final round of World Cup qualifying.

The two both qualified from the same group in the 2010 qualifiers and met again in the final of the Asian Cup last year, which Japan won to regain their title.

Joining them in Group B will be former Asian champions Iraq, who haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 1986, plus Jordan and Oman, neither of whom have reached the World Cup finals before.

Group A features South Korea, looking to qualify for their eighth World Cup in a row, Iran, who missed out in 2010, plus three would-be debutants in the shape of Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon.

With North Korea eliminated in the last round, Asia is guaranteed to have a different team in Brazil in 2014.  The top two from each group will qualify for the finals, with the two 3rd-placed teams facing each other for the right to go forward to the intercontinental playoff against the 5th-placed South American team.

The first set of matches in Asia’s final round will be played on June 3.

GROUP A: South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Lebanon

GROUP B: Japan, Australia, Iraq, Jordan, Oman

FIFA to investigate Bahrain-Indonesia result

Football’s world governing body FIFA is to investigate Bahrain’s World Cup victory over Indonesia on Wednesday.

Bahrain won the game 10-0, having needed a nine-goal swing in goal difference to leapfrog Qatar.  Bahrain were eliminated anyway after Qatar earned a 2-2 draw in Iran.

A statement on FIFA’s web site reads: “Given the unusual outcome in relation to the results-expectation and head-to-head history, and in the interests of maintaining unequivocal confidence in our game, FIFA Security will conduct a routine examination of the Bahrain vs. Indonesia game and its result.”

Indonesia fielded an inexperienced side in Bahrain, with several players suspended by the country’s FA over their involvement in the breakaway Indonesian Super League.

During the game, Indonesia had their goalkeeper sent off in the second minute and Lebanese referee Andre El Haddad awarded Bahrain four penalties, though only two were scored.

Saudi Arabia crash out but South Korea survive

Asian 3rd round:

Gp A –  China 3-1 Jordan  

Gp A –  Iraq 7-1 Singapore  (played in Qatar)

Gp B –  South Korea 2-0 Kuwait  

Gp B –  United Arab Emirates 4-2 Lebanon  

Gp C –  Japan 0-1 Uzbekistan  

Gp C –  Tajikistan 1-1 North Korea  

Gp D –  Australia 4-2 Saudi Arabia  

Gp D –  Oman 2-0 Thailand  

Gp E –  Bahrain 10-0 Indonesia  

Gp E –  Iran 2-2 Qatar  

Saudi Arabia crashed out of the World Cup after they were on the receiving end of a Australian triple strike in Melbourne.  The Saudis led 2-1 at half-time thanks to Nassir Al Shamrani’s goal in first half stoppage time.  But three goals in four second half minutes from Harry Kewell, Alex Brosque and Brett Emerton gave the Socceroos victory and meant Saudi Arabia were eliminated after Oman saw off Thailand 2-0 to join Australia in the final round.

Defeat for South Korea could have meant an early exit for them as well but second half goals from Lee Dong-Gook and Lee Keun-Ho were enough to give them victory over Kuwait, who are eliminated.  That result meant Lebanon also progressed from Group B despite losing 4-2 to the United Arab Emirates, who picked up their first points of this round after losing their first five games.

Group E had an unexpectedly exciting climax as Bahrain almost pulled off a miracle in Manama.  Needing to beat Indonesia, hope Qatar lost in Iran and overturn a huge goal difference, Bahrain smashed ten past their opponents, in a result that will raise eyebrows across Asia and beyond.  With minutes to go in both games, it looked like Bahrain were heading through but a late equaliser from Kasola Mohammed gave Qatar the point they needed to confirm their passage to the final round and leave Bahrain’s efforts in vain.

Indonesia had to play almost the whole game against Bahrain with 10 men after goalkeeper Samsidar Samsidar was sent off with just a minute on the clock.  Bahrain, managed by Peter Taylor, racked up a 4-0 lead by half-time and added six more in the second half, the last coming deep into stoppage time.  But Qatar’s draw made the result academic.

The other two groups already had their qualification issues decided before the final round of games.  In Group A, China bowed out with a 3-1 win over Jordan, who qualify alongside group winners Iraq, who thrashed Singapore 7-1.

In Group C, Uzbekistan shocked Asian champions Japan 1-0 to top the group, while Tajikistan earned their first point with a 1-1 draw against North Korea.




GROUP A played-points (goal difference)

1.  Iraq (Q) 6-15 (+10)

2. Jordan (Q) 6-12 (+4)

3. China 6-9 (+4)

4. Singapore 6-0 (-18)




GROUP B

1. South Korea (Q) 6-13 (+10)

2. Lebanon (Q) 6-10 (-4)

3. Kuwait 6-8 (-1)

4. UAE 6-3 (-5)




GROUP C

1. Uzbekistan (Q) 6-16 (+7)

2. Japan (Q) 6-10 (+11)

3. North Korea 6-7 (-1)

4. Tajikistan 6-1 (-17)




GROUP D

1. Australia (Q) 6-15 (+8)

2. Oman (Q) 6-8 (-3)

3. Saudi Arabia 6-6 (-1)

4. Thailand 6-4 (-4)




GROUP E

1. Iran (Q) 6-12 (+12)

2. Qatar (Q) 6-10 (+5)

3. Bahrain 6-9 (+6)

4. Indonesia 6-0 (-23)




Crunch time in Asia

Four places in the final round of Asia’s World Cup qualifying tournament are still up for grabs as Round 3 reaches its climax on Wednesday.

South Korea would have expected to have clinched their place in the final round already, but defeat against Kuwait in Group B could make them the biggest name casualty of the 2014 World Cup so far.  If Kuwait win, and Lebanon avoid defeat against the already-eliminated United Arab Emirates, the Taegeuk Warriors would miss out on the finals for the first time since 1982.

Reaching the final round would be an amazing achievement for Lebanon, who came into the group as rank outsiders – a tag that seemed justified after a 6-0 hammering at the hands of South Korea in the opening round of games.  However, three wins in four games, including a 2-1 win over South Korea last  time out have put them just a point away from the final round in what is already their best ever performance in the World Cup.

Another Asian giant in desperate need of a result is Saudi Arabia.  They must beat Australia in Melbourne to be sure of progressing.  If they slip up, they could find themselves leapfrogged by the winner of the game between Oman and Thailand.

In Group E, Bahrain need a miracle if they are to reach the final stage, as they must beat Indonesia, hope Qatar lose to Iran and that’s before they even begin to think about the required 10-goal swing in goal difference.

Were Bahrain to miss out, as seems likely, it would be a disappointing backward step after coming so close to qualifying for the 2010 finals.  But for Qatar, it would put them a step closer to the qualification they crave before they are scheduled to host the tournament themselves in 2022.

QUALIFICATION SCENARIOS:

GROUP A
Jordan and Iraq have qualified for the next round




GROUP B
South Korea will qualify if they avoid defeat against Kuwait
Lebanon will qualify if they avoid defeat against the UAE or if Kuwait fail to beat South Korea
Kuwait will qualify if they beat South Korea




GROUP C
Uzbekistan and Japan have qualified for the next round




GROUP D
Australia have qualified for the next round
Saudi Arabia will qualify if they beat Australia
Oman will qualify if they beat Thailand and Saudi Arabia fail to beat Australia
Thailand will qualify if they beat Oman and Saudi Arabia lose to Australia or if they beat Oman by at least three goals and Saudi Arabia draw with Australia




GROUP E
Iran have qualified for the next round
Qatar will qualify if they avoid defeat against Iran or if Bahrain fail to beat Indonesia
Bahrain will qualify if they beat Indonesia, Qatar lose to Iran and the combined margin of victory is 10 goals or more