The Socceroos have avoided a difficult group in their Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying draw on Tuesday but will face several long-haul trips to central Asia.

The Socceroos were drawn to face Jordan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh in Group B in the ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Jordan, ranked 103 in the world, looms as Australia’s toughest opponent.

The second round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers commence in just two months with the 62nd-ranked Socceroos to play the eight home-and-away round robin matches across June, September, October, November and then March 2016.

The winner of each of the eight groups and the four best runners up will advance to the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup and will also book a spot at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

After their Asian Cup success, Australia was drawn from pot one along with the top eight ranked teams of the continent, ruling out matches against fellow Asian powerhouses Iran, Japan, South Korea,UAE, Uzbekistan, China and Iraq.

But they could have faced clashes against the likes of North Korea, Oman or Kuwait.

-AAP