Nepal, Laos paired in World and Asia Cup preliminary qualifiers

According to the AFC, the bottom 20 ranked sides among the 46 members of the AFC were drawn for the preliminary round and were paired with the top 26 member associations of the Asian football governing body, following a draw at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The 36 teams in the second round will be divided into nine groups of four teams each and the top two finishers from each group will advance to the third round of World Cup qualifying and also seal an automatic berth for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia.

The draw for the third round of the 48-team World Cup will take place in 2024. The 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams and the top two from each group will qualify directly for the global showpiece. The other two direct AFC entrants will be determined in the fourth round of World Cup qualifying, with one more possible berth available via an Intercontinental Playoff.

Nepal have played against Laos thrice since 2016 and won all of them. The last two meetings between them took place in March during Three Nations Cup at the Dasharath Stadium, where Nepal clinched a 2-0 victory in the opening game and 2-1 in the final.

Nepal's coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese has already announced his 30-member preliminary squad for the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Nepal national women’s team has been drawn in Group ‘D’ along with Japan, Vietnam and Bangladesh in the draw for Asian Games to take place from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China. The men’s team is not competing in the Asian Games