The United Arab Emirates defeated South Korea 1-0 on Tuesday in Dubai, in the final match of the third round of the Asian Qualifiers for Qatar 2022, securing third place in Group A.
Therefore, they will face Australia (third in Group B) in the Asian playoffs, where the winner will advance to the intercontinental playoffs, competing against the fifth-place team from South America (CONMEBOL) for a spot in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The United Arab Emirates or Australia will face the fifth team from South America in June, the last CONMEBOL spot being contested by the Peruvian National Team (21), Colombia (20), and Chile (19), which will also be decided on this Tuesday's final matchday.
In the match against South Korea, who have already qualified for Qatar 2022, the home team secured the victory with Hareb Abdullah's goal in the 54th minute, thus guaranteeing their place in the playoffs, in which Iraq was also competing but could only manage a 1-1 draw against Syria.
South America awaits its Asian opponent in the playoffs
The Asian playoffs (fourth round of the Qualifiers) will be held on June 7, most likely in Qatar. It will be a single-match duel between the United Arab Emirates and Australia, who after losing at home to Japan in the penultimate match of the tournament, have no chance of directly qualifying for the World Cup.
One week later, the winner of the playoffs will face the fifth team from South America, also in Qatar, in a single-match playoff for a spot in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The top candidate in CONMEBOL is the Peruvian National Team, currently in fifth place with 22 points, who will play their last match at home against eliminated Paraguay. They are followed by Colombia (20), who will visit Venezuela, and Chile (19), who must defeat Uruguay in Santiago and wait for other results.