The Syrians, who have never qualified for the World Cup finals, have played all their "home" qualifiers in Malaysia since FIFA banned them from hosting matches in their war-torn country.
Victory in the two-legged tie against Australia, who will host the second leg at Sydney's Olympic Stadium on Oct. 10, would send Syria into a playoff against the fourth-placed side from the North and Central America qualifiers.
The winners of the intercontinental playoff will secure a berth in the 32-team field for next year's World Cup finals in Russia.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ian Ransom)
