Australia Gets Tough Qualifying Draw for Olympics

Australia faces a tough group including Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Asian football qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics.

But the Olyroos have to account for Taiwan in a preliminary round to even make the main draw.

The 14 seeded teams go straight into the second round but Australia, not seeded as a newcomer to Asian football, must first beat Taiwan.

Coach Graham Arnold acknowledges a tough campaign to keep intact the Olyroos' record of appearing in each men's Olympic football tournament since 1988.

"It is a very, very difficult draw and there won't be an easy game throughout the entire campaign," said Arnold.

"It is however a great challenge and it is one that the players and myself will be looking forward to.

"Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are regular qualifiers for the World Cup so they alone in the second round will be a massive challenge but this kind of competition is part of the benefits in moving into the Asian Confederation."

The 24 teams making the second round have been split into six groups, with the top two teams from each advancing to a final round to decide which three teams go to the Olympics. China has already qualified as host.

Preliminary qualifying takes place on February 7 and February 14 next year.

Second round qualifying will run through February 28 to June 6, 2007 with the final round held from August 22 till November 21, 2007.

Second round groupings

Group A: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore or Pakistan

Group B: Japan, Malaysia, Syria, Hong Kong or Bangladesh

Group C: Oman, Lebanon, Vietnam or Afghanistan, Indonesia or Maldives

Group D: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Kyrgyzstan, Australia or Taiwan

Group E: Iraq, North Korea, Turkmenistan or Thailand, Myanmar or India

Group F: South Korea, UAE, Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, Yemen or Palestine

Source: www.smh.com.au