With players based from Cyprus to Canada and the Maldives to Melbourne, there are few parts of the globe unrepresented in Dastgir’s side, who will face Qatar in Doha on September 5, before Dushanbe, Tajikistan plays host to a home meeting with Bangladesh five days later.

Afghanistan’s squad members ply their trade in a total of 14 nations, with the Germany-based quartet of Zubayr Amiri, Abassin Alikhil, Hassan Amin and uncapped goalkeeper Hellal Hosseini making it the most common home, ahead of the Afghan Premier League, which provides three players, all from champions Toofan Harirod,

The players, having rested for nearly three weeks, are set to return to action when they play their first match of the Asian Qualifiers against Afghanistan on September 10 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Head coach Jamie Day has made several changes to the 25-member preliminary squad from the one that defeated Laos in the first round of the Asian Qualifiers, adding six players and one new face.

The Nepalese travel to Kuwait on September 5 to challenge the hosts and 1980 AFC Asian Cup champions in their opening Group B Qualifiers. The West Asians represent a daunting task for Nepal. The first meeting between the two nations saw Kuwait triumph 5-0 in a 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualifier but nearly two decades on, Nepal, now coached by Swede Johan Kalin, showed what progress they have made when the pair reunited in a couple of friendlies in March.

What had been anticipated as one-sided matches turned out to be closely contested, with the strongly-favoured Kuwait held to a goalless draw on home soil in the first match, before managing a solitary-goal win.

The Harimau Malaya were involved in the first round of the Asian Qualifiers in June, and Tan has kept 18 players from the squad that beat Timor-Leste 12-2 on aggregate.

The move sees the Brazilian-born forward become the first player without Chinese heritage to be called up by the East Asian powerhouse.

Elkeson, who never featured for Brazil’s senior team, is eligible to play for China after plying his trade in the country since 2013.

Fans of Dordoi, also coached by Krestinin, are likely to feel a sense of familiarity when the Akshumkar meet Tajikistan in Dushanbe next month, with more than half of the 27-strong contingent provided by the Bishkek-based club.

FC Ilbirs, Abdish-Ata Kant and current league leaders FC Alay Osh are the other domestic clubs to provide players for the extended squad, with a further eight plying their trade overseas.

The players will gather in Bishkek on September 1, with the final squad to be cut to 23 ahead of their opening Asian Qualifiers fixture against neighbouring Tajikistan four days later.

The 30-year-old struck shortly before half-time to silence the capacity crowd, before Bahrain held on to become the competition’s sixth winners since it was held for the first time in 2000.

Bahrain’s win caps a spectacular start to life at the helm for Portuguese head coach Hélio Sousa, who emerges from his first tournament in charge of the side with a regional title and four consecutive clean sheets.