South Korea will face Australia, Oman and Kuwait in the group stage at the quadrennial continental tournament scheduled for next January.

The four countries were paired into Group A at the draw held in Sydney on Wednesday for the 2015 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Australia. The tournament will take place from Jan. 9-31.

Sixteen nations were placed into four groups of four. Group B nations are Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea. In Group C, it’s Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

Group D will consist of Japan, Jordan, Iraq and the pending winner of the AFC Challenge Cup scheduled for May.

The top two nations from each group will make up the quarterfinals. The champion of the tournament will represent Asia at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

South Korea finished third at the last Asian Cup in 2011 in Qatar. South Korea’s last Asian Cup title came in 1960 when it hosted the event.

In Group A, South Korea is the highest-ranked country at No. 60 in the world, followed by Australia at No. 63, Oman at No. 81 and Kuwait at No. 110. (Yonhap)