The draw will feature 16 teams, including India and DPR Korea who will make history as the first teams to take part in Asia’s flagship tournament as respective winners of the 2008 and 2010 AFC Challenge Cups, with hosts Qatar having the honour of being seeded first.

All the other participants, including India and DPR Korea, are positioned based on their final ranking at the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

The 16 teams will be divided into four Country Pots labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, while four Group Position Pots – A, B, C and D – will determine the placement of the teams in each of the four groups (A, B, C, D) and therefore the match fixtures.

Continental champions Iraq are second seeds behind Qatar with Saudi Arabia, runners-up after the thrilling final in Jakarta three years ago, seeded third. Korea Republic, who edged three-time champions Japan on penalties in the third- place play-off, are the fourth and final seeds in Country Pot 1.

Qatar, hosts for the second time after putting on the ninth edition of the tournament in 1988, have automatically been placed in the first position in Group A (A1) with the three remaining seeded teams in Country Pot 1 drawn into the first positions of Groups B, C and D.

A first ball will be drawn from Country Pot 1 and the drawn team placed into the first position of Group B (B1). Thereafter, the second ball from Country Pot 1 will be drawn and the respective team placed into the first position of Group C (C1). The same procedure is repeated for the third ball from Country Pot 1, and that team will be placed into the first position of Grou p D (D1).

After Country Pot 1 is exhausted, the action moves to Country Pot 4, then to Country Pot 3, and then finally Country Pot 2.

A ball will be drawn from Country Pot 4 and placed into Group A. In order to determine the position of the team within the group, another ball will be drawn from Position Pot A.

Similarly for Group B, another team will be drawn from Country Pot 4. Once again, to determine the position of the team within the group, a ball will be drawn from Position Pot B.

The same procedure will be repeated for Groups C and D respectively until all the balls from Pot 4 have been drawn and positioned in each group.

This procedure will then be repeated for Country Pot 3 and finally Country Pot 2 to conclude the groupings of the 16 teams.

Seeding of teams

Pot 1 (teams ranked 1-4): *Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Korea Republic
Pot 2 (teams ranked 5-8): Japan, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan
Pot 3 (teams ranked 9-11): China, UAE, Bahrain, Jordan
Pot 4 (teams ranked 12-16): Syria, Kuwait, India, DPR Korea

* Hosts Qatar have already been seeded as A1 as per the decision of the Organizing Committee for the AFC Asian Cup 2011, followed by final ranking from AFC Asian Cup 2007.