Time to kick off! We begin our Draft World Cup 2020 adventure in Asia, with the first round of qualifying there. This is the continent with the most changes this year, a new preliminary round is added:
The lowest-ranked 20 sides will have two-legged knockout matches to determine who goes through to join the top-ranked 30 teams. Below is where the teams will enter qualification (ordered by rank):
So Brunei are the unlucky team that is on the wrong side of the cut-off, whilst Tajikistan scrape into Round 2. For the lowest-ranked teams, having this round might mitigate their embarrassment; for example, Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) hold the DWC record defeat, a 19-2 hammering from Saudi Arabia.
With little seeding (the very top teams were kept apart), this is the draw for the round:
With little seeding (the very top teams were kept apart), this is the draw for the round:
Brunei's luck continues to desert them, as they are drawn into the tie with the highest overall rank, as they face Turkmenistan. At the other end of things, Bhutan and NMI contest the lowest-ranked fixture.
First leg
It did indeed prove a tough draw for Brunei, as they slipped to a 2-0 loss through two Berdymyrat Samyradow strikes. Hong Kong also face a high-ranked opponent, in the form of Bangladesh. However, a deflected Adama Guira strike set them on the way to a comfortable win, also 2-0.
Arguably the most surprising result came as Palestine - the 3rd-highest ranked team in the round - succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to Laos, whose striker Rafinha notched the first hat-trick of this year's DWC. The most comprehensive result came as Yemen thumped Chinese Taipei 5-0. Other than that, all other matches were within a goal, and well set-up for the next leg.
First leg
It did indeed prove a tough draw for Brunei, as they slipped to a 2-0 loss through two Berdymyrat Samyradow strikes. Hong Kong also face a high-ranked opponent, in the form of Bangladesh. However, a deflected Adama Guira strike set them on the way to a comfortable win, also 2-0.
Arguably the most surprising result came as Palestine - the 3rd-highest ranked team in the round - succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to Laos, whose striker Rafinha notched the first hat-trick of this year's DWC. The most comprehensive result came as Yemen thumped Chinese Taipei 5-0. Other than that, all other matches were within a goal, and well set-up for the next leg.
Here are the first leg results in full:
Second leg
Turkmenistan had done the hard work, winning away from home, and a stunning strike from Dayanc Orazguliyew saw them go ahead in their second leg. Samyradow added another, and an eventual 3-1 win saw them go through with an impressive 5-1 aggregate win. The other teams who already have a 2+ goal lead went through, as Hong Kong saw out the victory with a draw, as did Yemen.
East Timor were able to extend their first leg lead with two set piece goals in a 2-0 win over Nepal. Kyrgyzstan and Bhutan completed similarly straightforward victories.
Turkmenistan had done the hard work, winning away from home, and a stunning strike from Dayanc Orazguliyew saw them go ahead in their second leg. Samyradow added another, and an eventual 3-1 win saw them go through with an impressive 5-1 aggregate win. The other teams who already have a 2+ goal lead went through, as Hong Kong saw out the victory with a draw, as did Yemen.
East Timor were able to extend their first leg lead with two set piece goals in a 2-0 win over Nepal. Kyrgyzstan and Bhutan completed similarly straightforward victories.
It wasn't as easy for Laos and Afghanistan. Palestine came out of the traps and got themselves ahead 2-0 to take the aggregate lead. However, with 9 minutes remaining a simple ball over the top released Rafinha and his goal put Laos ahead on away goals, and a few minutes later Kazuo Honma added another to secure the win for Laos. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka got themselves 2-1 up to level the tie, before Fareed Sadat restored Afghanistan's lead. Both sides had a man sent off, and in added time Sadat intercepted a loose pass and raced clear to seal it.
The two games that were 0-0 both saw both teams get on the scoresheet in the second leg. Firstly, Guam fought back for a 1-1 draw to overcome Mongolia on away goals. Pakistan also looked to have done the same thing against Cambodia, but a crazy backpass from Samir Nabi played in Samuel Ajayi, and he powered home his strike to give Cambodia the victory.
The two games that were 0-0 both saw both teams get on the scoresheet in the second leg. Firstly, Guam fought back for a 1-1 draw to overcome Mongolia on away goals. Pakistan also looked to have done the same thing against Cambodia, but a crazy backpass from Samir Nabi played in Samuel Ajayi, and he powered home his strike to give Cambodia the victory.
Below are the full first round results:
The 10 winners here join the 30 seeds listed at the top of this page in the second round, where they will be drawn into 8 groups of 5. The 10 losers are the first teams eliminated in this year's DWC.
Our next episode will stick with two-leg football, as we cover both the first and second round in African qualifying, in an episode that will see a new record in terms of teams knocked out!
Our next episode will stick with two-leg football, as we cover both the first and second round in African qualifying, in an episode that will see a new record in terms of teams knocked out!