South Korea reached the semifinals in 2002, while Japan reached the round of 16 when they co-hosted the event in 2002, but Asia has underperformed at every tournament since then. Australia's victory over Peru in the intercontinental play-offs this week guaranteed an unprecedented six Asian League teams in the FIFA World Cup. South Korea reached the semifinals in 2002, while Japan reached the round of 16 when they co-hosted the event in 2002, but Asia has underperformed at every tournament since then. Giving the continent the chance to repeat the success it did when it first won the big 2002 organized football event. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa said: "This is truly the era of Asia and nothing beats the record-breaking FIFA World Cup for the first time in our history. There is no better way for six teams to qualify to underline this celebration”. He hopes that Asia's performance in 2022 will be significantly better than in 2018. In just over five months, the signs have been mixed.



