Football's world governing body FIFA announced Asia's qualifying pots for the 2006 World Cup draw to be held.

Below are the four pots for the teams from the Asian confederation which will be shared among eight qualifying groups.

The winners from the eight, four-team qualifying groups will go through to a further stage of two groups of four. Group winners and runners-up will qualify directly for the finals in Germany.

The two third-placed teams still have a chance to qualify and meet in a two-leg play-off.

The winners will join a competition, yet to be decided, with three other teams from South America, North, Central America and the Caribbean, and Oceania for a further two places at the finals.

Pot A Korea, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran,

United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Uzbekistan

Pot B Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Thailand, Syria, Lebanon

Kuwait, Indonesia

Pot C Turkmenistan, Yemen, India, Vietnam, Jordan

Palestine, Malaysia, (to be decided)

Pot D Eight teams from preliminary competition.

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