AFC: Iran's Qualification for the World Cup Seems Certain

AFC: Iran's Qualification for the World Cup Seems Certain - 2004-02-17. Despite the fact that there are still two years left until the start of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the long road to this competition begins tomorrow (Wednesday) with the start of the 32-team matches, which is their greatest desire to participate in the biggest football event in the world. According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), the Asian Football Confederation has reported on the start of the qualifying rounds for the 2006 World Cup: Major Asian teams such as Japan, South Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are seeking to secure four spots for Asia and, if possible, a fifth potential spot for the continent. They have left nothing to chance and are entering the competitions with full force. The report continues: Japan, which achieved its best World Cup honor by reaching the last 16 in 2002, has called up its European stars for the match against Oman, although Yoshito Okubo, the 2003 Asian Young Player of the Year, was not included in Zico's selection. An examination of Japan's current situation shows that it has recovered from a past slump, and its refusal to accept defeat in eight consecutive matches confirms this claim. South Korea, like Japan, is not leaving anything to chance and will play its first match against Lebanon in Group 7. Despite appearing very concerning in the Asian Cup qualifiers, the team is currently in ideal condition, with players like 'Ahn Jung-hwan', 'Seol Ki-hyeon' (Anderlecht player), Park Ji-sung (PSV Eindhoven player), and 'Cha Du-ri', a Bayer Leverkusen player, significantly strengthening the team. The confederation also mentioned Iran and Saudi Arabia, the countries present in West Asia, stating that the qualification of Iran and Saudi Arabia for the next stage seems largely certain, although Iran is subconsciously worried about facing Qatar and Jordan. Jordan and Iran faced each other twice in the Asian Cup qualifiers, with each team securing one victory and one defeat. On the other hand, on Wednesday, Iran will face Qatar in a match that will be held without spectators, a ban imposed by the AFC due to off-field issues in the match against North Korea.