The following is the draw for the final round of World Cup ’98 qualifying in Asia: Group A — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China, Iran, Qatar. Group B — South Korea, Kazakhstan, Japan, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates. The two group winners automatically advance to France ’98. The two runners-up will meet in a playoff at a neutral venue on Nov. 16. The winner of the playoff advances to France ’98, while the loser will play Australia in a two-leg playoff for a berth at France ’98. The fourth-place Asian team hosts the first leg Nov. 22, while Australia hosts the return match Nov. 29.
Match Schedule
Group A
Sept. 13 — China vs. Iran
Sept. 14 — Saudi Arabia vs. Kuwait
Sept. 19 — Iran vs. Saudi Arabia, Qatar vs. Kuwait
Sept. 26 — Qatar vs. China, Kuwait vs. Iran
Oct. 3 — Iran vs. Qatar, China vs. Saudi Arabia
Oct. 10 — Kuwait vs. China
Oct. 11 — Saudi Arabia vs. Qatar
Oct. 17 — Kuwait vs. Saudi Arabia, Iran vs. China
Oct. 24 — Saudi Arabia vs. Iran, Kuwait vs. Qatar
Oct. 31 — China vs. Qatar, Iran vs. Kuwait
Nov. 6 — Saudi Arabia vs. China
Nov. 7 — Qatar vs. Iran
Nov. 12 — China vs. Kuwait, Qatar vs. Saudi Arabia
Group B
Sept. 6 or 7 — South Korea vs. Kazakhstan, Japan vs. Uzbekistan
Sept. 12 — UAE vs. Kazakhstan
Sept. 13 — Uzbekistan vs. South Korea
Sept. 19 — UAE vs. Japan
Sept. 20 — Kazakhstan vs. Uzbekistan
Sept. 27 — Uzbekistan vs. UAE
Sept. 27, 28, or 29 — Japan vs. South Korea
Oct. 4 — Kazakhstan vs. Japan
Oct. 4 or 5 — South Korea vs. UAE
Oct. 11 — Kazakhstan vs. South Korea, Uzbekistan vs. Japan
Oct. 18 — Kazakhstan vs. UAE
Oct. 18 or 19 — South Korea vs. Uzbekistan
Oct. 25 — Uzbekistan vs. Kazakhstan
Oct. 25 or 26 — Japan vs. UAE
Nov. 1 or 2 — South Korea vs. Japan
Nov. 2 — UAE vs. Uzbekistan
Nov. 7 — UAE vs. South Korea
Nov. 8 or 9 — Japan vs. Kazakhstan
