A list of the 12 teams, including South Korea, that will vie for the four-and-a-half Asian berths to the 2018 Russia World Cup has been finalized.
China beat Qatar 2-0 in their last Group C match in Xi’an, Tuesday, finishing as a runner-up to Qatar in the group. With five victories, one loss and two draws, China joined the three other strongest runner-ups to advance to the 12-strong final round.
South Korea, which won all seven matches in Group C, has already advanced to the final preliminary along with the winners of the seven other groups—Japan, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Qatar.
North Korea suffered a 3-2 upset against the Philippines in Manila Tuesday by conceding two late goals, dashing its hope to make to the final round. As a runner-up in Group H, the North could have made to the final round with a draw against the Philippines.
South Korea is unlikely to get a top seed in the group draw for the final qualifying round to be held on April 12th. The top seed in the final round is given to the two highest-ranked teams in Asia. Iran, currently the highest-ranked team in Asia, has secured one of the two top seeds.
Australia has secured FIFA ranking points of 601 ahead of South Korea’s 579 and is likely to get the remaining top seed.