FIFA: Asia’s Group A WCQ Players to Watch [Karim Ansarifard]

FIFA – ZURICH, FIFA.com takes a look at the stars of the third round of Asian qualifiers and turns the spotlight on some of the potential game-changers in Group A. Free-scoring forwards, midfield maestros, and solid defenders should all have a part to play.

The Asian qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ has now reached its most decisive phase.

The 60 matches that make up the third round, which will play out from 2 September 2021 to 29 March 2022, will determine which four teams the continent sends as its representatives to next year’s festival of football.

With the 12 remaining sides split into two groups and the big kick-off scheduled for Thursday, FIFA.com runs the rule over some of the stars aiming to turn their countries’ dreams of advancing to Qatar 2022 into a reality, starting with the teams placed in Group A.

Karim Ansarifard – IR Iran

Forward, 31 Fans of IR Iran have their fingers crossed that Karim Ansarifard, an essential element of his team’s attacking triumvirate alongside Sardar Azmoun and Mahdi Taremi, can continue where he left off in the second round of qualifying, during which he found the net seven times. Having gained significant experience in leagues in Europe (in Spain, Greece and England) and with two World Cups – including Russia 2018, where he was the only Iranian to score, against Portugal in the group stage – already under his belt, he will undoubtedly prove to be a major asset for Dragan Skocic’s side in the challenges that lie ahead.