Japan were the first nation on Earth to book their place (20 March), and Asia followed with Iran, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The headlines, though, belonged to two first-timers: Jordan and Uzbekistan, who upstaged bigger names to debut at a World Cup. Iraq took Asia's play-off route — and came through it.
For Uzbekistan it was the reward for a generation of patient development; for Jordan, fresh from a run to the Asian Cup final, it was confirmation of a genuine rise.
A debutant in numbers
Uzbekistan last 12 months · 10 matches| Goals for/game | 1.4 |
| Goals against/game | 0.7 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 50% |
| Both teams score | 40% |
| Corners/game | 4.7 |
| Yellow cards/game | 0.9 |
| Shots on target/game | 3.5 |
What the numbers say
- a tight defence — just 0.7 conceded per game
- disciplined — only 0.9 yellows per game
Source: ScanGoal database (national-team matches, last 12 months)
Qualifying in numbers — our database
| Matches analysed | 667 |
| Avg goals per game | 2.9 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 52% |
| Both teams score | 35% |
Source: Asia (AFC) qualifiers in the ScanGoal database
AFC group previews: Japan (F), Iran (G), South Korea (A), Australia (D), Jordan (J), Uzbekistan (K). Source: FIFA.