THE first steps on the road to the next World Cup were taken yesterday when the Asian Football Confederation held a draw for the first round of qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Twelve of Asia’s lowest-ranked teams will face each other home and away June 6 and 11. The six winners will progress to the second round in September, grouped with powerhouses such as Japan, Australia, South Korea and Iran.

Malaysia, the highest-ranked team in the first round at 168th in the world according to FIFA, will face East Timor, while Cambodia, coached part-time by former Japan international Keisuke Honda, meets Pakistan.

In the other games, Laos hosts Bangladesh, and Bhutan faces Guam while Mongolia takes on Brunei. Sri Lanka, Asia’s lowest-ranked team at 202, meets Macao. The second round of qualification starts in September with 40 teams divided into eight groups of five.

The winner and the four best second-place teams will progress to the next stage. (SD-Agencies)