Olyroos' London qualifying draw announced

SYDNEY (AAP) - July 07 - Australia has been drawn in a group with Iraq, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates in the final Asian qualifying round for the London Olympics men's football tournament.
The Olyroos, ranked second behind South Korea among the final 12 Asian nations, must play home and away games against those three opponents between September 21 and March 14 next year.
Coach Aurelio Vidmar's side will start favourite but need to top the group to be sure of going to next year's Games.
If they finish second, they must fight for a spot in a further play-off round at the end of March.
Their toughest opposition is likely to come from Iraq, who defeated the Olyroos in the quarter-finals of the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The top 12 Asian nations were drawn into three groups of four. The other two groups comprise top-ranked South Korea, who will battle it out with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman, and third-rated Japan, who will be up against Bahrain, Syria and Malaysia.
The Olyroos advanced to the final qualifying round after comfortable victories over Yemen last month in Gosford and Newcastle.
Their upcoming round-robin match dates are: Sept 21, Nov 23, Nov 27, Feb 5, Feb 22 and March 14.