Australia, Japan in Group B for Asian World Cup qualifying

AFC General Secretary Windsor John holds the country name card of China in the draw for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian qualifiers final round

Asian Cup champion Australia and Japan have been grouped together in the last round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The Socceroos and Japan were drawn into Group B at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur and will be joined by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Thailand.
Iran and South Korea were the top-seeded teams in Group A, which also includes China, Uzbekistan, 2022 World Cup host Qatar and Syria.
The teams were drawn into two groups of six, with the matches starting in September. The top two teams in each group qualify automatically, with the third-place teams playing off for a shot at an inter-continental qualifier against the fourth-­place team from CONCACAF.
The teams were seeded and drawn from six pots based on the April 7 FIFA rankings, meaning Iran and Australia — the top teams in the rankings — could not meet, and nor could South Korea and Japan.
Australia is expected to open against 2007 Asian champion Iraq at home on Sept. 1 before traveling to the UAE. In October, the Australians travel to Saudi Arabia before returning for a home match against Japan, which has qualified for the last five World Cups.
Japan is the only team in the group with a winning record against Australia, with eight wins and eight draws in their 23 international meetings.
“If you want to make it to such a prestigious tournament, you’ve got to beat the best. I’m excited,” Australia forward Tim Cahill, who scored twice in a comeback win over Japan in his World Cup debut in 2006, told Fox Sports Australia. “This is what football is all about. We’ve done so well in the Asian Cup by winning it — this is where it’s going to separate the men from the boys. We’re ready for it. We want to play the best.”
South Korea is growing in confidence after reaching the final of the 2015 Asian Cup, topping their second-round group with 24 unanswered goals.
“We played exceptionally well in 2015, so we’re full of confidence. I’m very optimistic that we’ll make it to Russia,” South Korea coach Uli Stielike said ahead of the draw.
War-torn Syria reached the final round despite the ongoing upheaval, forcing the national team to play the entire second round away from home.
The Syrians finished behind Japan in the previous stage, to progress as one of the four best second-place teams. AP

Indonesia among four countries hoping to host 2023 Asian Cup

Indonesia is bidding to host the 2023 Asian Cup despite being under a FIFA-imposed ban from international competition because of government interference in the running of the national football federation.
The Asian Football Confederation issued a statement yesterday saying its competition committee had received expressions of interest from China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia for the continental championship.
Indonesia’s clubs and national teams have been barred from international competition since last May, including World Cup qualifiers for Russia 2018 which also doubled as qualifiers for the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The AFC said it planned to send the bidding agreement and host candidate questionnaire to Indonesia, China, Thailand and South Korea and seek government guarantees and legal opinion on the bids.