The third round of FIFA World Cup Qualification has kicked off this month. The top 12 national teams in Asia competes in this round. They have played their first two matches, with the next matchday coming in October. Total of 12 World Cup qualifying matches plus a few friendlies were played.
The headline for this month is the return of Iran to the top of the table. After almost 2 years, they are back in the crown after winning both qualifying matches and also helped by Japan’s surprise lost to Oman.
Saudi Arabia is the most improved nation in Asia after winning against Vietnam and Oman. They went up 5 spots from 61st to 55th. The Falcons also got the most points with 20.31 points collected this month. On the opposite side, the nation which its ranking dropped the most is China PR which fell 4 spots to 75th. They also lost the most points, losing 18.16 points to Australia and Japan.
Please look at the table below for the details
| AFC | FIFA | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (+1) | 22 (+4) | IR Iran | 1538.05 (+16.01) |
| 2 (-1) | 26 (-2) | Japan | 1520.46 (-8.99) |
| 3 | 32 (+3) | Australia | 1493.99 (+16.78) |
| 4 | 36 | Korea Republic | 1479.41 (+4.45) |
| 5 | 43 (-1) | Qatar | 1445.83 (-9.4) |
| 6 | 56 (+5) | Saudi Arabia | 1406.34 (+20.31) |
| 7 | 69 (-1) | United Arab Emirates | 1357.8 (-4.5) |
| 8 | 72 (-2) | Iraq | 1348.83 (-5.68) |
| 9 | 75 (-4) | China PR | 1334.52 (-18.16) |
| 10 | 78 (+1) | Oman | 1311.82 (+6.81) |
| 11 | 81 (-1) | Syria | 1295.22 (-7.53) |
| 12 | 84 (-1) | Uzbekistan | 1282.27 (-2.15) |
| 13 (+1) | 91 (+3) | Bahrain | 1251.31 (+0.02) |
| 14 (+1) | 93 (+2) | Jordan | 1245.64 (+0.33) |
| 15 (-2) | 95 (-3) | Vietnam | 1244.09 (-16.76) |
| 16 | 97 (+1) | Lebanon | 1233.61 (-4.37) |
| 17 | 98 (+3) | Kyrgyz Republic | 1230.58 (+7.18) |
| 18 | 99 (+3) | Palestine | 1213.71 (-2.54) |
| 19 | 107 (-2) | India | 1181.45 (+1.24) |
| 20 | 112 (-1) | Korea DPR | 1169.96 |
| 21 | 118 (-2) | Tajikistan | 1157.77 |
| 22 | 122 (-2) | Thailand | 1148.63 |
| 23 | 125 (+3) | Philippines | 1131.93 |
| 24 | 130 | Turkmenistan | 1117.6 |
| 25 | 142 | Kuwait | 1065.31 (-2.13) |
| 26 | 146 (-1) | Myanmar | 1057.44 |
| 27 | 148 (-1) | Hong Kong | 1053.39 |
| 28 | 151 | Chinese Taipei | 1046.34 |
| 29 | 152 | Yemen | 1046.26 |
| 30 | 153 | Afghanistan | 1045.34 |
| 31 | 154 | Malaysia | 1040.81 |
| 32 | 158 | Maldives | 1028.3 |
| 33 | 160 | Singapore | 1000.35 |
| 34 | 168 | Nepal | 970.95 (-1.24) |
| 35 | 175 (-1) | Indonesia | 957.05 |
| 36 | 178 (+1) | Cambodia | 950.26 |
| 37 | 182 (+1) | Macau | 922.1 |
| 38 | 184 (+1) | Mongolia | 916.68 |
| 39 | 186 | Laos | 912.07 |
| 40 | 187 | Bhutan | 910.96 |
| 41 | 189 (-1) | Bangladesh | 904.47 (-4.64) |
| 42 | 190 | Brunei Darussalam | 903.9 |
| 43 | 194 (+1) | Timor-Leste | 879.43 |
| 44 | 198 | Pakistan | 866.81 |
| 45 | 203 | Guam | 858.49 |
| 46 | 205 | Sri Lanka | 846.54 |
