Less than a week after the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup fourth round Asian qualifiers (June 27) here in the Malaysian capital, all eyes will turn to the magnificent Aspire Dome in Doha for the official draw of the AFC Asian Cup 2011™ final qualification round.

Sharp at 12 noon local time on Thursday, July 3, 2008, the draw for AFC’s flagship football competition will commence in the Qatari capital at the world’s largest indoor sports facility, and by the end of the process 20 teams would have been slotted into five groups of four each (5x4) under the Dome’s distinctive sloping roof.

The top two teams from each of the five groups (2x5) will qualify for the Finals for which a direct bye has been reserved for AFC Asian Cup 2007™ winners Iraq (1), runners-up Saudi Arabia (1) and third-place team Korea Republic (1), in addition to hosts Qatar (1). The winners of the AFC Challenge Cups 2008 (1) and 2010 (1) also have two berths reserved for them in the final 16.

The final round of qualification was preceded by a two-legged solitary play-off which saw Lebanon defeat Maldives for a place in the draw.

The final qualification round seedings, based on the results of the AFC Asian Cup 2007™ and its qualifiers, are led by Japan, who finished fourth in the last instalment, followed by Australia, Iran and Uzbekistan, all of whom qualified for the final round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers last week.

The dates for the final qualification round will be announced shortly by AFC.

AFC Asian Cup 2011 – Official Draw

Final Qualification Round

Thursday 3rd July 2008 at 12 noon – Aspire Dome, Doha, Qatar

DRAW MECHANICS

THE SEEDINGS AND POTS

Pot 1

Pot 2

Pot 3

Pot 4

1. Japan

6. China

11. Oman

16. Yemen

2. Australia

7. Thailand

12. Malaysia

17. Kuwait

3. Iran

8. Indonesia

13. Jordan

18. Singapore

4. Uzbekistan

9. UAE

14. Syria

19. India

5. Vietnam

10. Bahrain

15. Hong Kong

20. Lebanon

Procedure

a) Seeds to be separated as follows:

• POT 1 = Seeds 1 - 5

• POT 2 = Seeds 6 – 10

• POT 3 = Seeds 11 – 15

• POT 4 = Seeds 16 - 20

b) Pots to be drawn as follows:

1. First: POT 4

i. Draw 1 – Position: A4

ii. Draw 2 – Position: B4

iii. Draw 3 – Position: C4

iv. Draw 4 – Position: D4

v. Draw 5 – Position: E4

2. Second: POT 3

i. Draw 1 – Position: A3

ii. Draw 2 – Position: B3

iii. Draw 3 – Position: C3

iv. Draw 4 – Position: D3

v. Draw 5 – Position: E3

3. Third: POT 2

i. Draw 1 – Position: A2

ii. Draw 2 – Position: B2

iii. Draw 3 – Position: C2

iv. Draw 4 – Position: D2

v. Draw 5 – Position: E2

4. Fourth: POT 1

i. Draw 1 – Position: A1

ii. Draw 2 – Position: B1

iii. Draw 3 – Position: C1

iv. Draw 4 – Position: D1

v. Draw 5 – Position: E1