The third round of Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup may have only just begun but, ahead of Tuesday's second match day, several teams already look in a precarious position.
The expansion of the World Cup to a 48-team tournament in 2026 might have looked to pave a more straightforward path for some of the continent's usual suspects, yet it has also opened the door for the lesser lights to mount a legitimate charge should they be able to pull of an upset or two.
That certainly seems to be the case after Thursday's opening set of fixtures.
The revamped qualification format sees the top two teams from Groups A to C qualifying automatically for the World Cup.
The third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the fourth round and be split into two groups of three, where the winners are also guaranteed a World Cup berth while the runners-up then face in the fifth round -- with the victors then moving on to an inter-confederation playoff.
So, which teams already look on rocky ground after just one match?
QATAR
As champions of the past two editions of the AFC Asian Cup, Qatar were heavily fancied to finish in Group A's top two alongside Iran. Instead, they currently find themselves propping up the standings after a 3-1 loss to United Arab Emirates.
UAE are hardly pushovers but it was the manner in which the Qataris threw away their lead -- as the visitors scored twice in the final ten minutes to snatch the victory -- that would be particularly concerning to coach Tintín Márquez.
For all the hype surrounding their star attacking duo, both Almoez Ali and Akram Afif were largely kept at bay and it was instead teenage prospect Ibrahim Al-Hassan who scored Qatar's sole goal and looked the liveliest down the left.
Qatar were unable to halt UAE's momentum once the latter found some sort of groove and an injection of youth - in players like Al-Hassan and Ahmed Al-Rawi -- to rejuvenate the Maroons could perhaps not come soon enough.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea will not be panicking yet but a 0-0 draw with Palestine was hardly an ideal start in their Group B campaign, especially in a game which they dominated but failed to make the most of their chances.
Of course, it would have been a far different story had talismanic captain Son Heung-Min not been denied by the woodwork, while Palestine goalkeeper Rami Hamadeh also produced an inspired display.
Still, it is off-field issues that threaten to derail the Taegeuk Warriors. New coach Hong Myung-Bo was jeered by the crowd with many showing their disapproval of his appointment, especially after he had initially turned down the offer repeatedly and reiterated his commitment to former team Ulsan HD.
Hong stoically accepted the displeasure directed his way but, although several players -- including stars Son, Kim Min-Jae and Lee Kang-In -- did the right thing in leaping to his defence, it might have only served to heighten the tension between the team and their vocal fanbase.
SAUDI ARABIA
Having featured in six of the last eight World Cups, Saudi Arabia are almost always expected to get there -- especially with Asia now having at least eight representatives in 2026.
But with Group C acknowledged as the 'group of death', they could ill afford to drop points at home to the lowest seeds -- which is exactly what happened as Indonesia pulled off a remarkable 1-1 draw on Thursday.
The Green Falcons may have enjoyed the lion's share of possession but Indonesia were hardly outplayed and even took the lead, even if they needed a penalty save from debuting goalkeeper Maarten Paes to salvage a share of the spoils.
Even though he was the culprit who failed to convert from the spot, Salem Al-Dawsari was the only Saudi Arabia player with any sort of spark and the frustration etched on coach Roberto Mancini's face throughout the game suggests there might be sweeping changes on Tuesday.
CHINA
China may no longer be among the continent's elite but, having played at the World Cup before in 2002 and still considering themselves among Asia's second-tier nations, might have been thinking they would be one of the beneficiaries from the competition's expansion.
On Thursday, they were handed a brutal reality check as they had absolutely no answer for a rampant Japan outfit who showed no mercy in handing their opponents a 7-0 humbling.
The Chinese were not just bettered in every department but looked far inferior. In a sign of how bad things were, star man Wu Lei was hauled off just after the hour mark having had no impact whatsoever -- and he was far from the only one.
Even in the second round, China had already displayed some deficiencies - even being held to a draw by underdogs Singapore -- and only scrapped through via a barely superior head-to-head record with Thailand.
Unless they can somehow turn things around, China might even be facing a battle to avoid the ignominy of finishing of bottom rather than challenging to reach the World Cup.
AUSTRALIA
Australia's 1-0 loss to Bahrain was not the most damning result given the latter are far from weak opposition, but it was certainly a match they should have won -- especially given their formidable home record.
It was only the Socceroos second defeat in a 'live' World Cup qualifier since 1981 and was another case of the favourites being unable to make the most of their superiority.
Players like Harry Souttar and Mathew Ryan have since come out to acknowledge their performance was below par and there was a certain naivety to the display as they allowed themselves to be drawn into Bahrain's gamesmanship -- before a moment of misfortune saw the visitors snatch the win through an own-goal.
The Socceroos will be expected to bounce back on Tuesday but they only have to look at fellow powerhouses Saudi Arabia to know that Indonesia will be up for the challenge, especially in front of 78,000 at the intimidating Gelora Bung Karno.