The anticipation surrounding the FIFA World Cup always leads to an exciting period of qualification rounds, where teams from all corners of the globe compete for a coveted spot. The 2015 edition of the FIFA World Cup was no different, entailing a rigorous qualifying process that put national teams through intense and exhilarating matches. Here, we delve into an overview of the qualification process and the journey teams underwent to book their place in the world’s greatest football tournament.
The FIFA World Cup qualifiers are divided into several confederations, each responsible for governing football in different parts of the world. These include the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Confederation of African Football (CAF), Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL), Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Each of these confederations follows its own qualification format to determine the teams that will represent their region in the World Cup.
In the AFC, the qualification format involved multiple stages. Teams were initially divided into several groups, and they competed in a series of round-robin matches. The top teams from each group then advanced to further rounds, culminating