KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The first qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in Russia have been drawn in Asia.
India will host Nepal on March 12 in the pick of six preliminary-round, first-leg matches drawn Tuesday by the Asian Football Confederation.
Sri Lanka will be at home first against Bhutan, which is ranked 209th and last among FIFA member federations.
The other pairings: Yemen vs. Pakistan, East Timor vs. Mongolia, Cambodia vs. Macau, and Taiwan vs. Brunei.
The return matches will be played on March 17.
The draw included the 12 lowest-ranked teams in Asia. Winners advance to a 40-team group stage which starts in June.
FIFA will hold the main World Cup qualifying draw on July 25 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
