Cambodia will square off against Chinese Taipei in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifying playoff round as one of the five pairings, with the double-leg tie slated for June 2 and 7.
The other matchups to be played simultaneously include Malaysia against Timor Leste and Laos versus India, while Tajikistan face Bangladesh and Maldives tackle Yemen.
Eleven countries ranked 29th to 39th after the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers will figure in this two-phased competition.
The five pairings have been made out of teams ranked from 29th to 38th for playoff 1. While the winners will join the third and final round, the losers will be bracketed with the lowest ranked team in the continent, Bhutan, for the six-team, double-leg playoff 2, set for September 6 and October 11.
The three winners from this stage will be eligible for the final qualifiers
Road to Russia
The draw for the crucial third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle from Asia was held last week at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
The eight group winners from the second round, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Qatar, Iran, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Uzbekistan, were joined by four best runners up – Iraq, Syria, United Arab Emirates and China – in the 12-team contest.
The teams have been split into two groups of six, with the winners and runners-up assured of their places in the 32-team elite for the World Cup proper.
The two third-placed teams, however, will play against each other home and away to determine which one of them will advance to the inter-continental confederation playoffs, the winner of which will also earn a place at the World Cup.
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