'Dawn of Asian football' - Six Asian teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar a sign of things to come?

The 2022 World Cup, set to kick-off in less than six months in Qatar, is set to feature an unprecedented six teams from Asia. Never before in the history of World Cups have six teams affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualified for the final tournament.

Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Japan made it through the AFC World Cup qualifiers while Qatar had already been an entry as the hosts. Australia made it six Asian teams at Qatar 2022 when they defeated Peru on penalties in the inter-continental play-off on Monday.

It is only fitting that this development comes at a time when the World Cup is beiinig hosted in Asia for only the second time in history.

In many ways, Qatar 2022 could be a second dawn for Asian football. To put it in perspective, the first time the World Cup was held in Asia was in 2002 when it was jointly-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

That tournament put Asian teams, considered pushovers back then, firmly into the footballing map. Japan and South Korea caught the eye of fans worldwide with their energetic, vibrant and competitive football. Japan reached the Round of 16 undefeated from a group that contained the likes of Russia, Tunisia and Belgium. In fact, they won their group with seven points. Japan fell in the Round of 16 against Turkey, the eventual semifinalists.

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South Korea, on the other hand, had a dream run to the semifinals. They topped a group that included Portugal, USA and Poland. Their group stage campaign included a famous win over Portugal. The Koreans, coached by Guus Hiddink, went on to defeat Italy in the Round of 16 and then stunned Spain in the quarterfinals. They were then narrowly beaten by Germany in the semifinal.

The 2002 World Cup proved that Asian teams can be competitive on the global stage. It showed in the following editions of the World Cup as well. Japan and South Korea once again progressed to the knockout stage in the 2010 World Cup. Japan reached the Round of 16 in 2018 in Russia, only to be beaten 3-2 by Belgium despite roaring into a 2-0 lead at one point.

While the first World Cup in Asia put Asian football on the continental map, the second World Cup in Asia, set to kick-off on November 21, 2022, in Qatar, could see the rise of Asian football.

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Most Asian teams have players plying their trade at top European clubs, led by the brilliant Son Heung-min who recently won the Premier League golden boot while playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Asian teams have already shown their ability against traditional footballing nations. Qatar, set to appear for the first time in a World Cup, reached the semifinal of the CONCACAF Gold Cup last year. They also managed to hold Paraguay and were only narrowly beaten by Argentina. Qatar also managed to beat European sides like Luxembourg and Azerbaijan. They also held Ireland in a friendly.

That's not all. In the recent pre-World Cup friendlies, Japan managed to trounce Paraguay 4-1 and were only narrowly beaten by Brazil. South Korea managed to defeat Chile 2-0 as well.

These are encouraging signs for Asian football. With six teams from the continent set to take part in the World Cup for the first time, there are expectations that Asian football can kick things up a level of two. What better stage to do it than Qatar, the venue for the continent's second World Cup.