The motto is 'The Future is Asia', but the continent's four representatives in the World Cup could be excused for dwelling on the immediate past as they come to terms with the hands that fate dealt them at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The draw did the four AFC representatives no favours. Asian sides face an uphill struggle to avoid repeating their bleak performance at Germany 2006.
With Sepp Blatter, president of Fifa, world soccer's governing body, continuing to sing the praises of African football and dropping hints about allocating the host region more World Cup places, Asian teams could be excused for feeling left in the cold ahead of South Africa 2010 and already worried about holding onto their 4.5 spots for the 2014 finals in Brazil.
Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Australia will start as outsiders to advance to the round of 16 after they found themselves in tough groups laden with seasoned European, African and South American opponents.
The Japanese, who failed to win a game at Germany 2006, begin their campaign in Bloemfontein against Cameroon on June 14, and will also face the Netherlands and Denmark. South Korea take on Greece, Argentina and Nigeria, while North Korea are grouped with Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast.
Yet the AFC's number-one ranked side, Australia, who start against three-time champions Germany in Durban on June 13, have tried to put a positive spin on a horror draw that also pits them with Ghana and Serbia in group D.