| Event | AFC Asian Qualifiers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 7 June 2022 | ||||||
| Venue | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium,Al Rayyan, Qatar | ||||||
| Referee | Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 6,500 | ||||||
Thefourth round ofAFC matches for the2022 FIFA World Cup qualification consisted of asingle match that determined theAFC representative in theintercontinental play-offs against theCONMEBOL representative.[2] This round was originally scheduled as atwo-legged tie for 11 and 16 November 2021,[3][4] but the dates and format were changed in November 2020 in response to impacts from theCOVID-19 pandemic in Asia.[5]
The match featured theUnited Arab Emirates andAustralia. It was played atAhmad bin Ali Stadium inAl Rayyan, Qatar (one of the host cities of the World Cup) on 7 June 2022.[6]
Since the1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, the last round of the Asian qualifiers (in this case, the fourth round) had consisted of a matchup between two teams coming from a previous round, and the winning team would representAFC in the intercontinental play-offs (except the1998 campaign, in which the play-off winners qualified directly for the FIFA World Cup, while the losers advanced to theintercontinental play-off).
The United Arab Emirates had previously played once at this stage; they facedIran in the2002 play-off and lost 0–4 on aggregate. Australia had also previously played at this stage once; it was the previous2018 edition, where they defeatedSyria 3–2 on aggregate.[7]
This was the third match between the United Arab Emirates and Australia in AFC World Cup qualifying, with the previous two meetings being Australian victories (both in the2018 qualifiers).[8]
In the fourth round, the two third-placed teams from thethird round competed in a single-match play-off. Since the fourth round format was changed from two-legged tie to a single-match at a neutral venue, the game was played under the single-leg play-off rules from the preliminary competition, withextra time of two periods of 15 minutes would be played if the match was tied after the regular time of 90 minutes, followed by apenalty shoot-out to decide the winner if the match still tied after extra time (Regulations Article 20.11).[9]
The winner advanced to theintercontinental play-offs that was held on six days later also in Qatar.[10]
| Group (Third round) | Third place |
|---|---|
| A |  United Arab Emirates |
| B |  Australia |
The United Arab Emirates qualified for the fourth round after finishing third ofGroup A in thethird round. Previously, they had wontheir group in thesecond round, winning six and losing two of their eight matches, leavingVietnam (by only 1 point),Malaysia,Thailand andIndonesia behind. In the third round, the UAE were part of Group A, alongsideIran,South Korea,Iraq,Syria andLebanon. They finished third with 12 points and a record of 3 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, behind Iran and South Korea who qualified directly for thefinal tournament.[11]
Australia also qualified by finishing third in the third round (Group B). Previously, they had wontheir group in the second round, winning all eight of their matches and taking a 10-point lead overKuwait andJordan in second and third place respectively, withNepal andChinese Taipei far behind. In the third round, Australia were part of Group B, alongsideSaudi Arabia,Japan,Oman,China PR andVietnam. They finished third with 15 points and a record of 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses, behind Saudi Arabia and Japan who qualified directly for the final tournament.[11]
The United Arab Emirates started the qualification process with DutchmanBert van Marwijk. However, he was sacked on 12 February 2022 after the team ran out of direct qualification options as Iran and South Korea had secured the first two places of Group A in the third round.[12][13] ArgentineRodolfo Arruabarrena was announced as the UAE's new coach one day later,[14] while Australia keptGraham Arnold as their coach throughout the process.[11]
| City | Stadium | Location of the host city of the match. |
|---|---|---|
| Al Rayyan (Doha Area) | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | |
 |  | |
| Capacity: 45,032 | ||
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 1–2 | Australia |
          United Arab Emirates |      Australia |
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Assistant referees:[1] | Match rules:[9]
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There were 3 goals scored in 1 match, for an average of 3 goals per match.
1 goal
