2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 February 2013 – 5 March 2014 | 
| Teams | 20 (from 1 confederation) | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 60 | 
| Goals scored | 161 (2.68 per match) | 
| Attendance | 672,607 (11,210 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) | 
 (5 goals each)  | 
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams.
In the initial scheme, ten places were determined by qualification matches, while six places were reserved for the following:
- Hosts (Australia)
 - Top three finishers in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup (Japan, Australia, and South Korea)
 - Winners of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup (North Korea)
 - Winners of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup (Palestine)
 
As the host nation Australia also finished as runners-up in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the initial 6 automatic qualification spots were reduced to 5, with a total of 11 spots eventually determined by the qualification matches, in which 20 AFC members compete.[1]
Qualified teams

| Team |  Method of qualification  | 
 Date of qualification  | 
 Finals appearance  | 
 Last appearance  | 
 Previous best performance  | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   | Hosts1 | 5 January 2011 | 3rd | 2011 | Runners-up (2011) | 
|   | 2011 AFC Asian Cup winners | 25 January 2011 | 8th | 2011 | Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) | 
|   | 2011 AFC Asian Cup 3rd place | 28 January 2011 | 13th | 2011 | Winners (1956, 1960) | 
|   | 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | 19 March 2012 | 4th | 2011 | Fourth place (1980) | 
|   | Group D winners | 15 November 2013 | 5th | 2011 | Fourth place (2004) | 
|   | Group E winners | 15 November 2013 | 9th | 2011 | Runners-up (1996) | 
|   | Group C winners | 15 November 2013 | 9th | 2011 | Winners (1984, 1988, 1996) | 
|   | Group A winners | 19 November 2013 | 3rd | 2007 | Group Stage (2004, 2007) | 
|   | Group E runners-up | 19 November 2013 | 6th | 2011 | Fourth place (2011) | 
|   | Group D runners-up | 19 November 2013 | 9th | 2011 | Quarter-finals (2000, 2011) | 
|   | Group B winners | 19 November 2013 | 13th | 2011 | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) | 
|   | Group B runners-up | 19 November 2013 | 10th | 2011 | Winners (1980) | 
|   | Group A runners-up | 4 February 2014 | 3rd | 2011 | Quarter-finals (2004, 2011) | 
|   | Group C runners-up | 5 March 2014 | 8th | 2011 | Winners (2007) | 
|   | Best third-placed team | 5 March 2014 | 11th | 2011 | Runners-up (1984, 2004) | 
|   | 2014 AFC Challenge Cup winners | 30 May 2014 | 1st | N/A | N/A | 
- 1 Australia also obtained 2011 AFC Asian Cup runner-up qualifying position
 
Qualification process
The preliminary draw was held in Melbourne on 9 October 2012, 18:00 UTC+11.[2] The twenty teams involved in the qualifiers were drawn into five groups of four teams each, with each group containing one team from each of the following seeding pots. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team from among all the groups qualified for the finals.[3]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | 
|---|---|---|---|
The following teams did not enter the main qualifying draw, as categorized as "emerging countries" they compete separately. The teams were eligible to qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup by winning either the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup or the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.
  | 
  | 
  | 
† Entrants to 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
‡ Entrants to 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
Schedule
The following matchdays have been assigned by the AFC for 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. As 15 and 19 November 2013 are also the dates of the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[4] a number of alternative matchdays have been allocated.
| Year | Matchday | Date | 
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Matchday 1 | 6 February | 
| Matchday 2 | 22 March | |
| Matchday 3 | 15 October | |
| Matchday 4 | 15 November | |
| Matchday 5 | 19 November | |
| 2014[5] | Alternative | 11, 18, 25, 31 January 4 February  | 
| Matchday 6 | 5 March | 
Groups
| Key to colours in group tables | 
|---|
| Group winners, runners-up, and best third-placed team qualified for the finals | 
- Tiebreakers
 
In each group, the teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) and tie breakers are in following order:[6]
- Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
 - Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
 - Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (Away goals do not apply)
 - Goal difference in all the group matches
 - Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches
 - Kicks from the penalty mark if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play
 - Drawing of lots
 
Group A
  | 
  | 
|  Syria  | 
1–1 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Sahyouni  | 
Report |  Al-Laham  | 
Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Tehran (Iran)[note 2] Attendance: 200 Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)  | 
|  Oman  | 
0–0 |   | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Mohamed Al Zarouni (United Arab Emirates)  | 
Group B
  | 
  | 
|  Kuwait  | 
0–0 |   | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)  | 
|  Thailand  | 
2–5 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Teeratep  Adisak  | 
Report |  Ghaddar  Maatouk Saad Antar  | 
Group C
  | 
  | 
|  Iraq  | 
1–0 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Younis Mahmoud  | 
Report | 
Al-Rashid Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 4] Attendance: 3,600 Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)  | 
|  Iraq  | 
0–2 |   | 
|---|---|---|
| Report |  Hawsawi  Al-Shamrani  | 
Amman International Stadium, Amman (Jordan)[note 4] Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Abdullah Al Hilali (Oman)  | 
|  Iraq  | 
3–1 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Younis Mahmoud  Adnan  | 
Report |  Zhang Xizhe  | 
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 4] Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)  | 
|  Saudi Arabia  | 
1–0 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Al-Muwallad  | 
Report | 
Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam Attendance: 9,500 Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)  | 
Group D
  | 
  | 
|  Yemen  | 
0–2 |   | 
|---|---|---|
| Report |  Aaish  Al Amer  | 
Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)[note 5] Attendance: 450 Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)  | 
|  Yemen  | 
1–4 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Al-Sasi  | 
Report |  Soria  Hassan Kasola Jeddo  | 
Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)[note 5] Attendance: 350 Referee: Marai Al Awaji (Saudi Arabia)  | 
|  Yemen  | 
1–2 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Al-Sarori  | 
Report |  Amri  Fakri  | 
Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)[note 5] Attendance: 311 Referee: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)  | 
Group E
  | 
  | 
|  Uzbekistan  | 
3–1 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Rashidov  Âu Văn Hoàn Sergeev  | 
Report |  Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng  | 
|  Vietnam  | 
3–1 |   | 
|---|---|---|
|  Huỳnh Quốc Anh  Nguyễn Anh Đức Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng  | 
Report |  Lo Kwan Yee  | 
Ranking of third-placed teams
To determine the best third-placed team, the following criteria were used:[6]
- Number of points obtained in the group matches
 - Goal difference in the group matches
 - Greater number of goals scored in the group matches
 - Fewer points calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
 - Drawing of lots
 
| Group | 
Team | Pld | 
W | 
D | 
L | 
GF | 
GA | 
GD | 
Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C |    | 
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 8 | 
| B |    | 
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 8 | 
| D |    | 
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 7 | 
| A |    | 
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 
| E |    | 
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 4 | 
Goalscorers
- 5 goals
 
- 4 goals
 
- 3 goals
 
- 2 goals
 
 Boaz Solossa
 Ashkan Dejagah
 Fahad Awadh
 Hassan Chaito
 Mohammed Ghaddar
 Mohamad Haidar
 Eid Al-Farsi
 Qasim Said
 Sebastián Soria
 Fahad Al-Muwallad
 Yousef Al-Salem
 Nasser Al-Shamrani
 Khairul Amri
 Thitipan Puangchan
 Ismail Al Hammadi
 Habib Fardan
 Sardor Rashidov
 Vokhid Shodiev
 Huỳnh Quốc Anh
 Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng
- 1 goal
 
 Ismail Abdul-Latif
 Saad Al Amer
 Abdulla Saleh
 Mohamed Salmeen
 Wu Lei
 Wu Xi
 Yu Dabao
 Zhang Xizhe
 Zhao Xuri
 Chan Wai Ho
 Lo Kwan Yee
 Karim Ansarifard
 Jalal Hosseini
 Alireza Jahanbakhsh
 Yaghoub Karimi
 Amir Hossein Sadeghi
 Masoud Shojaei
 Ali Adnan
 Hammadi Ahmad
 Karrar Jassim
 Mossab Al-Laham
 Yusuf Al-Rawashdeh
 Khalil Bani Attiah
 Abdallah Deeb
 Fahad Al-Rashidi
 Waleed Ali
 Hamad Aman
 Hussain Fadel
 Abbas Ali Atwi
 Roda Antar
 Soony Saad
 Azamuddin Akil
 Mohd Amri Yahyah
 Ahmad Fakri Saarani
 Khyril Muhymeen
 Norshahrul Idlan Talaha
 Sami Al-Hasani
 Amad Al Hosni
 Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali
 Ali Afif
 Yusef Ahmed
 Abdulkarim Al-Ali
 Hassan Al Haidos
 Abdelkarim Hassan
 Jeddo
 Mohammed Kasola
 Taisir Al-Jassim
 Osama Hawsawi
 Naif Hazazi
 Shahril Ishak
 Gabriel Quak
 Ahmad Al Douni
 Abdul Fattah Al Agha
 Oday Jafal
 Omar Khribin
 Sanharib Malki
 Raja Rafe
 Burhan Sahyouni
 Adisak Kraisorn
 Chanathip Songkrasin
 Mongkol Tossakrai
 Teerasil Dangda
 Teeratep Winothai
 Omar Abdulrahman
 Ismail Matar
 Salem Saleh
 Odil Ahmedov
 Shohruh Gadoev
 Nguyễn Anh Đức
 Ayman Al-Hagri
 Mohammed Al-Sarori
 Ala'a Al-Sasi
- Own goals
 
 Hussain Fadel (playing against Iran)
 Theeraton Bunmathan (playing against Kuwait)
 Âu Văn Hoàn (playing against Uzbekistan)
Notes
- 1 2 The Singapore v Oman and Syria v Jordan matches on Matchday 2 were rescheduled from the original date of 22 March 2013 on the request of the football associations of Oman and Jordan so that their respective national teams can prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC Fourth Round matches on 26 March 2013.[7][8]
 - 1 2 3 Syria played their home matches outside of the country due to security concerns.[9]
 - 1 2 The Oman v Jordan match on Matchday 4 and Singapore v Jordan match on Matchday 5 were rescheduled from the original dates of 15 and 19 November 2013 due to Jordan's qualification to the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification inter-confederation play-off matches on 14 and 20 November 2013.[10]
 - 1 2 3 Iraq played their home matches outside of the country due to security concerns.
 - 1 2 3 Yemen played their home matches outside of the country due to security concerns.[11]
 
References
- ↑ "Automatic bye to 2015 Finals for top-three". the-afc.com. 24 January 2011.
 - ↑ "Giants to know foes on Tuesday". the-afc.com. 8 October 2012.
 - ↑ "AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015™ preliminary draw results". the-afc.com. 9 October 2012.
 - ↑ "2014 FWC Asian qualifiers format". The-AFC.com (Asian Football Confederation). 13 August 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
 - ↑ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2014" (PDF). AFC.
 - 1 2 "AFC Asian Cup 2015 Qualifiers Regulations" (PDF). AFC.com.
 - ↑ "FAS appoints caretaker national team coach". Football Association of Singapore. January 21, 2013.
 - ↑ المنتخب الوطني يلاقي اندونيسيا وديا والاتحاد الاسيوي يوافق على تأجيل مباراة الاردن وسوريا (in Arabic). Jordan Football Association. January 7, 2013.
 - ↑ ایران میزبان بازیهای سوریه شد (in Persian). روزنامه شرق. June 30, 2013.
 - ↑ "Jordan’s AFC Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers to be rescheduled". Asian Football Confederation. 11 September 2013.
 - ↑ رئيس الاتحاد: حظر اللعب في اليمن بسبب المخاوف الأمنية (in Arabic). Yemen Football Association. January 23, 2013.
 
External links
- AFC Asian Cup (Official website) (English)
 - AFC Asian Cup, the-AFC.com
 
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