AFC announces six-round qualification cycle

Of the 43 entrants into the AFC qualifying tournament, the top five seeded countries advanced straight into the third round of the four-round qualification process. This means that Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Iran will be starting their campaigns on February 6, 2008.

The other 38 countries, including the AFC Nations Cup champions Iraq, will begin their quests will 19 separate home-and-away playoffs. Game ones will take place on October 8, 2007. Game twos will take place on October 28, 2007.

Regarding round two, the eight round-one winners with the lowest ranking will be pitted in four separate home-and-away playoffs, while the eleven other round-one victors proceed to the third round. These four ties will take place on November 9, 2007 and November 18, 2007.

Round three will feature Asia's twenty best teams. They will be divided into five groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the fourth round. The matches will take place between February 6, 2008 and September 10, 2008.

Round four will be the final proving ground for the final ten competitors. They will be divided into two groups of five. The top two in each group advance to South Africa. This round starts on October 15, 2008 and ends on September 9, 2009.

Nevertheless, the two third-place teams will compete in a last chance home-and-away series.

The winner of this advances to yet another home-and-away series (are you sick of them, too?), this time with the winner of the OFC qualifying process on November 14 and 21, 2009. The winner of this tie receives one of the final two bids to the 2010 World Cup.