The major soccer powers in Asia may get a bye in the first round of the Asian qualifying stages for the 2006 World Cup as the Asian Football Confederation is considering introducing a seeding system for its qualifiers, Japan Football Association vice president Junji Ogura said Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference on his return from the AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur, at which he was elected onto the FIFA executive committee, Ogura said that a seeding system is being discussed to avoid any mismatches that may arise if a weak team was to meet a strong team in the early rounds.
If the new format is introduced, teams such as South Korea and Japan will compete from the second round of qualifying, said Ogura, who also serves as an AFC competition committee member.
In the Asian qualifying stages for this past World Cup, teams were divided into 10 groups of four teams in the first round. The winner of each group advanced to the two-group final round and competed in a home-and-away format.
Saudi Arabia and China qualified after winning their respective groups in the final round. Iran, which came third, lost in a two-leg playoff against Ireland.
Ogura said the home-and-away format will remain for the next qualifying stage. But details of the qualifying system will be decided by the AFC after learning how many spots Asia will have at the 2006 World Cup.