Australian national soccer team Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou speaks with players during a training session in Sydney
IN PHOTO: Australian national soccer team Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou (C) speaks with players during a training session in Sydney May 23, 2014. The 2014 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Brazil, will begin on June 12. Reuters/Jason Reed

The Socceroos have been handed a relatively easy draw, held on Tuesday night, in their bid to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The same qualifying process will also be used to determine the participants of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals.

40 teams have been drawn into eight groups, with Australia set to face Jordan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh in their group, meaning the team will have a logistical nightmare flying to different parts of the continent during qualifying. Each group winner, along with the four best placed runners-up, progress to the final round of qualifying for the World Cup. They will also, thus, clinch a place in the 2019 Asian Cup finals. Runners-up of all the groups also make it to the continental competition.

Group B sees Australia, at 63, along with Jordan, who are ranked 93, as the only two teams who feature in the top 100 of the FIFA World Rankings. The Socceroos will kick off their qualification away at Kyrgyzstan on June 16 and play the first home match in Perth against Bangladesh on Sep. 3.

The Australians will still have to be wary of their opponents, however. They have faced Jordan twice in competitive fixtures and won once and lost once. They have not played even one single competitive fixture against Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.

“The draw is certainly an interesting one and throws up some games against unfamiliar countries but the first phase of qualifying is about us and making sure we maintain our high standards on and off the field,” Australian coach Ange Postecoglou said in a Guardian report.

UAE face Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Timor-Leste and Malaysia in Group A. China face Qatar, Maldives, Bhutan and Hong Kong in Group C. Iran face Oman, India, Turkmenistan and Guam in Group D. Japan have been drawn against Syria, Afghanistan, Singapore and Cambodia in Group E. Iraq face Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei in Group F. Korea Republic face Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar and Laos in Group G. Uzbekistan face Bahrain, Philippines, DPR Korea and Yemen in Group H.

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