Defending AFC Asian Cup champions Japan will play 2007 winners Iraq, Jordan and the AFC Challenge Cup winners in the group stage at the 2015 finals in Australia, it was determined at the draw in Sydney on Wednesday.
　Playing in Group D, Japan will open the 2015 tournament against the AFC Challenge Cup winners on January 12 at Newcastle Stadium. They will then face Iraq on January 16 in Brisbane before meeting Jordan on January 20 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
　The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals on January 23. The semifinals will be held on January 26/27, and the third-place playoff will take place on January 30. The final will be staged on January 31 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
　The AFC Challenge Cup winners will be determined on May 30. The teams in the tournament are the Maldives, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Laos.
　Asian Cup hosts Australia will play in Group A along with Korea Republic, Oman and Kuwait. Group B features Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and DPR Korea, and Group C consists of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.