Ahead of the start of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar, the-AFC.com previews each of the teams in the two groups, their history and the players they will be counting on to put them on the grandest stage of all.

Three decades on from their only appearance at the FIFA World Cup, the United Arab Emirates have grown in stature to become perennial contenders in AFC competitions and the latter stages of the Qualifiers, but can 2022 finally be the year they make it all the way?

Asia's elite national teams booked their spots in the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar after a gruelling and mentally taxing second round heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at players who can change the outcome of matches for their teams in Group A.

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?

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-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.

The-AFC.com dives deep into the 12 nations who will be taking part in the upcoming festival of football 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.

Perennial powerhouse Korea Republic will not just be hoping for, but expecting qualification to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with a track record at the Asian Qualifiers that bears testament to that confidence.

Over the coming days, the-AFC.com will break down each of the 12 nations still standing, their key men and what it all means in the context of history as they vie for a ticket to the greatest show on earth.

A true powerhouse of the Asian game, Islamic Republic of Iran are targeting a third successive FIFA World Cup appearance and their exceptional strike force makes them one of the favourites to qualify.