This promises to be a huge World Cup for Asia in 2022, as the tournament will be hosted in the region for just the second time. The previous occasion came with a lot of success for the host nations, with Japan reaching the round of 16, and South Korea making it all the way through to the semi-finals in 2002.

However, 20 years later, can history once again be made by the six nations that will be representing the continent in Qatar?

Qatar

There wouldn’t be any other place to start other than the host nation for the 2022 World Cup this year. While there are still questions revolving around the legitimacy of the Qatar bid to win the hosting rights for the competition this year, they will be looking to put that behind them and deliver a performance that could make the nation proud.

Qatar will be making its World Cup debut at the competition this year, but they aren’t expected to make a run of winning the competition, according to the latest odds, as they are available at 500/1.

Qatar will play their first World Cup fixture on the opening night of the competition in Group A, as they take on South American nation Ecuador. That will be followed by fixtures against Senegal and the Netherlands, who are widely expected to progress through to the next round.

Iran

Iran could be one of the Asian nations that cause a shock at the World Cup this year, as they are currently ranked 20th according to FIFA. However, they will need to make history to achieve that, as they have qualified for the World Cup on six previous occasions without having made it past the group stage. In fact, they have won just two games at the World Cup, with those wins coming against the United States in 1998 and Morocco in 2018.

Like Qatar, Iran is a massive outsider to win the competition this year, as they are also ranked 500/1 to win the competition. They will come up against some very interesting rivals in Group B, which includes a rematch from the 1998 World Cup against the United States.

Iran open their campaign against England, who will be expected to top the group, before closing the Group B campaign against Wales, who will likely be a direct rival for the second spot in the standings.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has been no stranger to making World Cup history, as they became only the second Arab country to reach the knockout round of the competition in 1994, before falling to Sweden. That remains their best showing at the competition, as they have failed to make it past the group stage on their previous four appearances.

Saudi Arabia also has a 500/1 chance to win the World Cup, but they could be in with a chance of making the knockout round. They open their campaign in Group C against Argentina, before then facing Poland on matchday two, in what could be a crucial game for their hopes of progression. Their group C then comes to a close against Mexico on November 30.

Australia

Australia only managed to qualify for the World Cup by the narrowest of margins, as they needed the playoffs to ensure their qualification. This will be their sixth appearance at the finals, having successfully qualified for every tournament held between 2006 and now.

Their best previous showing came in 2006, as they reached the round of 16. However, they have now gone two editions of the World Cup without picking up a victory, as they finished 30th overall in both the 2014 and 2018 competitions. Australia faces a daunting task to reach the next round of the competition, as they square off against the reigning world champions France, as well as the improving sides of Denmark and Tunisia.

Japan

Japan has a rich history in the World Cup, having previously reached the round of 16 on three occasions. They were narrowly denied an improvement on that showing four years ago, as they let a 2-0 lead against Belgium slip away in the round of 16. However, their odds to win are slightly shorter than most Asian nations this year, as they are a 300/1 chance.

But, they will need to be at the very top of their game if they are to achieve that unlikely feat this year. The draw wasn’t kind to Japan as they were drawn alongside European heavyweights, Spain and Germany. But, if they can remain in the hunt following their opening night match against Germany, then they could achieve something special with a victory against Costa Rica.

South Korea

There is no more successful nation in World Cup history than South Korea. In 2002, they broke new ground for the continent, as they became the first Asian side to reach the semi-final stage of the competition. However, since that showing, they have reached the knockout round on just one occasion. That includes group stage exits in each of the previous two editions of the World Cup.

If they are going to make it through to the knockout round this year, then they will need to be at their very best. They open their World Cup campaign against Uruguay, before taking on Ghana and Portugal in their final two fixtures. However, there’s little doubt that they boast enough talent to spring a surprise this winter.

Final Thoughts

Experts and bookmakers predict that it is unlikely any of the six Asian nations will advance to the tournament’s final stages, let alone take home the title. Sometimes, however,  there are shocking surprises that nobody could  expect. Cameroon beat Argentina in 1990, dashing any hopes to get to the final and Bulgaria knocked out Germany in 1994 – so you never know.