Japan was handed a tough draw on Tuesday for the Asian final qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup as Vahid Halilhodzic's side landed in Group B with Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Thailand.

In Group A are Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan, China, Qatar and Syria for the campaign starting this September and finishing in September 2017.

Japan's first game will be at home on Sept. 1 to UAE, which eliminated the then-holder at last year's Asian Cup quarterfinals. Japan plays Thailand away five days later on its first road trip.