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Uzbekistan and Jordan seal historic maiden World Cup qualification
Uzbekistan and Jordan will play at the World Cup finals for the very first time next year after booking their places on Thursday.
Uzbekistan and Jordan have secured qualification to the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.
Their goalless draw with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday saw them become the fifth nation to qualify for the tournament in Mexico, Canada and the United States, after Argentina, Iran, Japan and New Zealand.
Timur Kapadze's side sealed their passage after guaranteeing second place behind Iran in Group A of the AFC Qualifying Third Round with a game to spare.
A 0-0 stalemate with third-placed UAE in Abu Dhabi put Uzbekistan four points clear of the latter with just one match remaining.
It ensured their maiden participation at a World Cup finals for the first time since becoming an independent nation in 1992.
Skipper - and all-time leading scorer - Eldor Shomourodov will likely lead the charge of Uzbekistan, whose side also features Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
Jordan also qualified for their first-ever World Cup, thanks to South Korea, who booked their place in an 11th successive finals.
Kim Jin-Gyu and Oh Hyeon-Gyu were on target as South Korea earned a 2-0 win over 10-man Iraq, which secured their qualification from Group B.
It also ensured Jordan, who beat Oman 3-0 earlier on Thursday, thanks to a hat-trick from Ali Olwan, needed an Iraq defeat to confirm their World Cup berth.
Meanwhile, Australia's qualification hopes remain on the brink. After snatching a last-gasp win over Japan earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's 2-0 win over Bahrain means their place in the tournament is not yet confirmed.
The two sides will face each other in the final Group C game, though Saudi Arabia have an inferior goal difference (0 to Australia's +8).