2022 will see the FIFA World Cup take place in Asia for only the second time, following the tournament that was hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea 20 years before. This has led to fans asking how far the Asian teams taking part in Qatar go. While it seems unlikely that an Asian team will win the famous trophy this time around, could they break new ground by going further than ever before?
The History of Asian Football
Eleven Asian teams have taken part in football’s showcase event over the years. South Korea has the most appearances, with eleven, and this nation also achieved the best-ever placing by a team from Asia. This came when they were co-hosts in 2002 and had an incredible run to the semi-final, where they lost 1-0 to Germany at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. They also lost the third-place match, 3-2 to Turkey, to finish in a respectable fourth place.
However, perhaps the most remarkable feat came in 1966, when North Korea made its first World Cup Finals and took everyone by surprise by getting to the quarter-finals stage. There, they lost 5-3 to Portugal in a thrilling game, denying them a semi-final game against hosts England. Next on the list comes Japan and Australia, who have made several World Cup appearances and have both reached the round two-stage. The other teams who’ve made it to the Finals have failed to make it out of the initial group stage.
Who Is Taking Part in 2022?
Host nation Qatar will be making its World Cup debut in 2022, and they’ll be joined by Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Those six teams make up the biggest contingent of Asian outfits to ever play in a World Cup Finals, with Europe the only continent having more teams in Qatar this year. These nations have been kept apart in the group stages, with none of the groups having more than one Asian team in it. This means that six of the eight groups have an Asian representative in them.
Sports fans will be intrigued at the thought of an Asian team performing well in their own continent. Even in Asian countries that aren’t taking part, there is a growing amount of interest in football, as we can see by looking at a football betting site, aptly translated as ‘trang cá cược bĂłng đá‘, in Vietnamese. They mention sites such as BK8 and 1xBet, which give welcome bonuses to players signing up with them. There’s also a World Cup section where Vietnamese bettors can place their wagers on whom they think will win in Qatar.
Which Asian Team Should Go Furthest?
All eyes will be on Qatar, as the planet’s football fans wonder whether they can make their status as host nation count. It would be a massive surprise to see them win the World Cup in their first Finals appearance, but we should remember that they won the Asian Cup in 2019. More recently, they performed well when invited to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup and started the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup strongly before losing out to Algeria at the semi-final stage.
South Korea is generally viewed as being the strongest footballing nation in Asia, thanks to its record in World Cups and AFC Asian Cups. It’s difficult to see them repeating their march to the semi-final in 2002, though. This last attempt, in 2018, almost ended in unexpected glory as they defeated Germany 2-0 in the final group game to keep their flickering hopes alive. Yet, this game, known as the Miracle of Kazan, wasn’t enough and South Korea crashed out in the first round.
The history of Japan as a major footballing force only goes back two or three decades. However, they’ve now managed to qualify for seven World Cups in a row and have reached the knock-out stages on three different occasions. In the 2018 event, they lost a dramatic game against Belgium by three goals to two despite having taken a two-goal lead in the match. They were the only Asian team to progress to the knock-out stage, among the five Asian nations that took part.
The most popular sport in the world is sure to gain even more fans this year, with events in Qatar being beamed across the planet. It might be too soon for an Asian team to win the main prize, but they’re getting closer all the time and it certainly wouldn’t be a major surprise to see the likes of Japan, Qatar or South Korea reach the semi-final stage.