Qatar faces fight for credibility

Of the 12 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams awaiting Tuesday's draw for Russia World Cup 2018 third-round qualifiers, Qatar has the most at stake.

Since being controversially chosen to host the 2022 tournament, the Gulf state has been battered by ongoing allegations of corruption and labor abuse. It denies the former and claims to be addressing the latter through reform.

The draw - which will see the dozen remaining AFC sides split into two groups of six, with the top two from each qualifying for Russia - addresses another criticism, namely that Qatar has little or no soccer history.