The Asian Football Confederation thought they'd nailed it. The draw for the final round of World Cup qualifiers was structured to produce two evenly matched groups.
Two six-team groups formed from six pots, with two teams of roughly equal strength in each pot. It couldn't get much more even than that, right? 
By the time the first three pots had been drawn, it was clear that group B housed some serious giant killers: the UAE, Iraq, Thailand.
They were meant to be the three weakest teams in the group. Yet two of them were Asian Cup semi-finalists a year ago. Next out of the pot - the regional monster Saudi Arabia, with a big point to prove, or the eternally under-achieving Uzbeks? The Saudis went to group B. Lips were being licked. That was followed by Japan and South Korea, two teams neck-and-neck for talent, and on paper the two best teams in Asia. An Asian Cup runner-up or the Samurai Blue, still considered by most to be the continent's best? Japan went to group B.
That left Australia and Iran, two foes from long ago who, remarkably, haven't met since 1997. Iran were drawn first. They went to group A - a gimme for a team of their calibre.
And so Australia, Asia's champions and now-habitual World Cup qualifiers, completed group B.
It is undoubtedly the toughest group ever assembled for an Asian football event. Of the six teams in group B, five have a realistic shot at qualifying. The Socceroos and Japan are favourites, but Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq are three of the best four teams in west Asia.
After the first two places, the hunt for the third-placed spot, which guarantees a play-off, will be as fierce as the desert heat most of these teams inhabit.
Thailand are no slouches, either. Don't read much into their ranking (119). They're reigning champions
of south-east Asia. They topped
their World Cup qualifying group, which included Iraq and, in case you missed it, went undefeated as well.
That said, we can occasionally over-estimate the strength of Asia, especially when they come to visit. The Socceroos are almost unbeatable at home. Since joining the AFC, Australia have lost only one World Cup qualifier at home, a dead rubber against China in 2008, when an under-age side was sent out to gain match practice before the Olympics and lost 1-0. If we're looking at "live" fixtures, the last time Australia lost a World Cup qualifying match on Australian soil was on   May 16, 1981, when the Socceroos were beaten 2-0 by the World Cup-bound All Whites.
Almost 35 years. Of the current crop of players, only Tim Cahill was alive at the time. But streaks are made to be broken and with five of Asia's best teams ready to push the Socceroos to the limit, that record will be tested. If Australia want to compete with the best in the world, they need to conquer challenges like this. It's the perfect grounding for the Confederations Cup next   June and the real deal 12 months later.
Provided we get there, of course. The path to Moscow is paved with Asia's biggest potholes.