Tournament Structure
There were three rounds of play:
- First Stage: The 40 teams were divided into 10 groups of 4 teams each. The teams played against each other twice, except in Group 2, where the teams played against each other once. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Second Stage: The 10 teams were divided into 2 groups of 5 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. The runners-up would advance to the AFC Play-off.
- Play-off: The 2 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the UEFA/AFC Intercontinental Play-off.
Read more about this topic: 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC)
Famous quotes containing the word structure:
“The philosopher believes that the value of his philosophy lies in its totality, in its structure: posterity discovers it in the stones with which he built and with which other structures are subsequently built that are frequently better—and so, in the fact that that structure can be demolished and yet still possess value as material.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)