Players from third-placed Mali had pleaded Request for the insurgency in the north of their country to end Process_end .

The group stage operated Being_in_operation in a single round-robin format consisting Cause_to_be_included of eight groups of five teams , each team plays Competition two games Competition at home and two away and the top three finishers of each group progress Achieve to the knock-out Competition round , joining Becoming_a_member the eight third-placed teams from the UEFA Champions League group stage .

Both finalists and third-placed Iraq qualified Becoming_a_member for the Olympics Competition .

Both finalists and third-placed South Korea qualified for the World Cup .