Two hard-fought qualification stages have whittled a Continent-wide field down to eight remaining teams, with the competition's three former champions - Japan, DPR Korea and Korea Republic - all represented in the draw.

The eight qualified teams will be divided into two groups of four, with the top two in each group to advance to the knockout stage.

Hosts Thailand and 2017 winners DPR Korea are top seeds, while Korea Republic and Japan - who are in Pot 2 - also qualified automatically by virtue of their strong showing two years ago.

Australia claimed maximum points after securing a 3-0 win over Laos to finish top of Group A, while Vietnam took second place after sharing the spoils with Islamic Republic of Iran in a 0-0 stalemate.

Laos finished third ahead of IR Iran.

Laos, who lost 1-0 to Vietnam on Matchday One, will need to beat Australia in their final match on Thursday to keep their hopes alive.

Vietnam can also advance if they beat Iran, setting the stage for an exciting final matchday.

Group A

Australia 2-0 IR Iran

Vientiane: A resounding first half placed Australia in a commanding position against Iran at the National Stadium in Vientiane, Laos.

Australia were quick to get into the groove with forward Georgia Beaumont putting them ahead with her finish in the 20th minute.

Their lead was doubled 20 minutes later with defender Grace Taranto finding the back of the net.