Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Qualifiers draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Preliminary Competition and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 will be held on July 17, 2019 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – providing Asia’s top 40 nations with their pathway to glory.

The seedings for the draw will be based on the latest FIFA Rankings issued on June 14, 2019 and following the conclusion of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 where Bangladesh, Cambodia, Guam, Malaysia and Mongolia – advanced to Round 2.

The decision on the outcome of the match between Macau and Sri Lanka is still pending.

The 40 nations will be drawn into eight groups of five teams and compete in a double round robin format, with matches to be held from September 5, 2019 to June 9, 2020. Following the June 14, 2019 FIFA World Ranking

The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots in the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023.