Team Melli

Tasnim - Iran has been allocated the first position in pot one in the draw to be held at the Armani Hotel in the UAE’s Burj Khalifa on Thursday.

This means the host UAE along with Iran, defending champion Australia, and the tournament’s most successful nation, Japan, as well as Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia will take pole position in pot one, while China PR, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar and Thailand have been seeded in pot two.

Debutant Kyrgyz Republic, who was the biggest mover in world football in the FIFA Ranking - up an astonishing 40 places - take its place in pot three alongside Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India and Vietnam.

Meanwhile DPR Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen and Turkmenistan make up the final six teams in the final pot.

The expansion from 16 to 24 teams will see countries representing all five AFC zones divided into six groups of four teams each, with the top two and four best third-placed teams advancing into the final 16 of the competition, which lives up to its slogan of “Bringing Asia Together.”

The UAE will play the opening match on January 5, 2019, at the Zayed Sports City Stadium.

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