The country that finishes in fifth place in the Conmebol rankings will face the only qualifier from Oceania.
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There will be a strong content of stress and concern for the team that finishes in fifth place in the South American Qualifiers. First, because it will not be easy to reach that position, in what represents one of the most even qualifying rounds in history. Then, because the playoff it will enter will be another tough fight.
Which team should the country that finishes in fifth place face? According to FIFA's decision in early 2015, it will face the winner of the Oceania qualifying, in a two-legged match in which the Conmebol representative will decide the home team.
Initially, everything indicates that the winner of the half spot awarded to Oceania will be New Zealand. In Group B of the first round, they won all the matches with 9 goals scored and only one against, while in the third round they secured their place in the final by finishing with 10 points out of 12 in the group with New Caledonia and Fiji. In the other group, Tahiti is leading to be the other finalist. The winners of the groups will face each other in a two-legged match to earn a place in the playoff.
The fact that Australia was selected to play in the Asian qualifiers leaves room for New Zealand as the clear favorite to be the opponent of the team that finishes fifth in South America.