Defending champions Korea DPR, runners-up Turkmenistan and third-placed Tajikistan would now have to go through the qualifiers to enter the finals.
For the pre-qualifying phase, the eight lowest ranked teams played off over two legs on a home-and-away basis[3] with the away goals rule, extra time and penalty shootouts to determine winners if necessary.
However, in early January 2011, Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta said he wanted the match to take place at the same venue as the first leg on 12 February, citing the winter conditions in Mongolia.
[5] Mongolian Football Federation president Ganbold Buyannemekh insisted that the second leg be played in Mongolia but proposed a 15 March date instead as a compromise.
[7] However, for Group D, the All Nepal Football Association proposed the hosting rights since the end of December 2010, which the AFC had endorsed.