Following a gripping Preliminary Joint Qualifiers Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023™, Asia’s heavyweights will play for four coveted tickets to the global showpiece.

Ahead of the start of the Asian Qualifiers, the-AFC.com previews each of the teams in the two groups, their history and the players they hope can drive them forward on the road to Qatar.

Rounding off the sides in discussion in Group A are Lebanon, returning to this phase of the Qualifiers for the second time after 2014. Considered by many as outsiders, could they upset the odds and create history?

The-AFC.com dives deep into the 12 nations who will be taking part in the upcoming AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar assessing and analysing the key men, highlighting the history, and giving a general insight into the teams battling out for a place at Qatar 2022.

New on this stage of the Asian Qualifiers, Southeast Asia's reigning regional champions Vietnam are set to make their bow, but will do so replete with some of the most exciting young talents from ASEAN.

The-AFC.com previews the sides still standing as the pick of the continent’s national teams vie for a place in Qatar next year.

While some teams come into the final stage of the Qualifiers with a history of reaching multiple World Cups, Oman are only at this stage for the third time in their history after 2002 and 2014.

Through this series of articles, the-AFC.com analyses each of the 12 sides ready to take the next step in the journey towards the global showpiece.

For Syria, this is a dream they have came so close to achieving in the past, but without success so far. Can this be the year the Qasioun Eagles finally make it?

The Chinese have not appeared at the FIFA World Cup since securing their one and only spot at the Finals, in 2002, but, after being drawn in a challenging Group B, coach Li Tie will be hoping to overcome the odds to end the country’s two decade hoodoo.

The-AFC.com looks at each of the teams still standing in a journey that started two years ago and was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed the proceedings by a year.

Group A will provide Iraq with the latest challenge as they pursue a return to the FIFA World Cup for the second time after Mexico 1986.