2
or 3 teams to qualify + Korea Republic and Japan
1st Round (League System)
The first round of the Asian preliminary competition will be staged in 10 groups
of four teams each. The first round is played in a round-robin.
2nd Round (League System)
The 10 group winners will be divided into two groups of 5 teams. The
winners of the two groups will qualify directly for the Final Competition of the
2002 World Cup Korea/Japan. The draw will be held after the first round when the
teams qualifying for the second round are known.
RESULTS: GROUP A WINNER:
SAUDI ARABIA GROUP B WINNER:
CHINA
3rd Round (Cup System)
The two teams which are runners-up in the two second round groups compete
in a play-off on a home-and-away basis to qualify for the play-off with Europe/UEFA.
The nine runners-up of UEFA will be put into one pot. Four European play-off
pairings (home and away) will be drawn. The winners qualify for the final
competition of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.] The remaining European runner-up will
contest the play-offs (home and away) against the third place AFC team. The
winner will qualify for the final competition of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
RESULTS: GROUP A RUNNER UP: IRAN
GROUP B
RUNNER UP: UAE.
PLAY OFF: 25/10/2001 : IRAN 1:0 UAE.
PLAY OFF: 31/10/2001: UAE. 0:3 IRAN
PLAY OFF: 10/11/2001: IRELAND VS IRAN
PLAY OFF: 15/11/2001: IRAN VS IRELAND