The qualification phase for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Asia (AFC) is set to determine the teams that will participate in the tournament. This stage serves as the pathway for national teams affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to secure a spot in the prestigious FIFA World Cup 2026 . The AFC has designated eight direct qualifying slots along with an additional slot for an inter-confederation play-off.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers Format

A total of eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot have been assigned to AFC teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The qualification process comprises five rounds, with the first two rounds also determining eligibility for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Starting on October 12, 2023, the first round will kick off the journey, and the entire tournament is scheduled to wrap up in November 2025

A total of forty teams are slated to participate in this qualification odyssey. These teams will be strategically divided into eight groups, each comprising five teams. The top team from each group earns a direct qualification for the World Cup. Following this, the eight group winners will engage in a knockout stage, ultimately determining the final four teams that will secure a coveted spot in the upcoming World Cup.

Here’s a breakdown of the selection process in each round:

Round 1 – 10 Teams Emerge from 20 (Oct. 11-17, 2023): Teams ranked 27 to 46 in Asia face off in a series of home-and-away matches. The victorious 10 teams from this round progress to Round 2.

Round 2 – 18 Teams from 36 (Nov. 2023 – June 2024): A pool of 36 teams is formed by combining the top 26 teams in Asia with the 10 winners from Round 1. These teams are then drawn into nine groups of four. The winners and runners-up from each group advance to Round 3.

Round 3 – 6 Teams Secure World Cup Berths (begins Sept. 2024): The six remaining teams engage in three groups of six, playing home-and-away matches. The top two teams from each group earn a coveted spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Round 4 – 2 Teams Secure World Cup Spots (begins Oct. 2025): The teams that make it through Round 3 are divided into two groups of three. They play one-off games at neutral venues, with the group winners securing spots in the World Cup and the runners-up advancing to Round 5.

Round 5 – Inter-Confederation Play-Off Contention (November 2025): The runners-up from Round 4 compete in a home-and-away format, with the ultimate winner earning the right to participate in the inter-confederation play-off.

FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers Groups

Note: These are groups of the teams qualified for the second round.

Group A: Qatar, India, Kuwait, Afghanistan

Group B: Japan, North Korea, Syria, Myanmar

Group C: South Korea, Thailand, China, Singapore

Group D: Malaysia, Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Chinese Taipei

Group E: Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Hong Kong

Group F: Iraq, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia

Group G: Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Jordan, Pakistan

Group H: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, Nepal

Group I: Australia, Lebanon, Palestine, Bangladesh

FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers Schedule

First-Round Fixtures and Results:

October 11

Afghanistan 1-0 Mongolia
Maldives 1-1 Bangladesh
Singapore 2-1 Guam
Yemen 3-0 Sri Lanka
Myanmar 5-1 Macau
Cambodia 0-0 Pakistan
Chinese Taipei 4-0 Timor-Leste
Indonesia 6-0 Brunei
Hong Kong 4-0 Bhutan
Nepal 1-1 Laos

October 17

Mongolia 0-1 (0-2 agg) Afghanistan
Bangladesh 2-1 (3-2 agg) Maldives
Guam 0-1 (1-3 agg) Singapore
Sri Lanka 1-1 (1-4 agg) Yemen
Macau 0-0 (1-5 agg) Myanmar
Pakistan 1-0 (1-0 agg) Cambodia
Timor-Leste 0-3 (0-7 agg) Chinese Taipei
Brunei 0-6 (0-12 agg) Indonesia
Bhutan 2-0 (2-4 agg) Hong Kong
Laos 0-1 (1-2 agg) Nepal

Second-Round Fixtures and Results:

Match Day 1- (November 16)

Australia 7-0 Bangladesh
Japan 5-0 Myanmar
South Korea 5-0 Singapore
Philippines 0-2 Vietnam
Thailand 1-2 China
Malaysia 4-3 Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan 1-1 Jordan
Turkmenistan 1-3 Uzbekistan
Lebanon 0-0 Palestine
Iran 4-0 Hong Kong
Iraq 5-1 Indonesia
Oman 3-0 Chinese Taipei
UAE 4-0 Nepal
Qatar 8-1 Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia 4-0 Pakistan
Kuwait 0-1 India
Syria 1-0 North Korea
Yemen 0-2 Bahrain

Match Day 2- (November 21)

Pakistan 1-6 Tajikistan
Myanmar 1-6 North Korea
Philippines 1-1 Indonesia
Chinese Taipei 0-1 Malaysia
Bangladesh 1-1 Lebanon
Singapore 1-3 Thailand
Vietnam 0-1 Iraq
China 0-3 South Korea
Hong Kong 2-2 Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan 2-2 Iran
Nepal 0-2 Yemen
India 0-3 Qatar
Palestine 0-1 Australia
Kyrgyzstan 1-0 Oman
Syria 0-5 Japan
Bahrain 0-2 UAE
Jordan 0-2 Saudi Arabia
Afghanistan 0-4 Kuwait

Match Day 3- (March 21, 2024)

Bangladesh vs Palestine
Pakistan vs Jordan
South Korea vs Thailand
Chinese Taipei vs Kyrgyzstan
Hong Kong vs Uzbekistan
Indonesia vs Vietnam
Japan vs North Korea
Oman vs Malaysia
Nepal vs Bahrain
Afghanistan vs India
Iraq vs Philippines
Iran vs Turkmenistan
Singapore vs China
Saudi Arabia vs Tajikistan
UAE vs Yemen
Australia vs Lebanon
Myanmar vs Syria
Qatar vs Kuwait

Match Day 4- (March 26, 2024)

Kyrgyzstan vs Chinese Taipei
Vietnam vs Indonesia
Philippines vs Iraq
India vs Afghanistan
Malaysia vs Oman
Turkmenistan vs Iran
Bahrain vs Nepal
Lebanon vs Australia
China vs Singapore
Palestine vs Bangladesh
Yemen vs UAE
Kuwait vs Qatar
Uzbekistan vs Hong Kong
Syria vs Myanmar
North Korea vs Japan
Thailand vs South Korea
Jordan vs Pakistan
Tajikistan vs Saudi Arabia
Hong Kong vs Iran
Jordan vs Tajikistan
Chinese Taipei vs Oman

Third Round (September 2024)

Following the second round, the top two teams from each group advance to the third round, where 18 nations are divided into three groups of six. The top two teams from each group in this stage will secure their coveted spots at FIFA World Cup 26™. Meanwhile, the teams finishing in the third and fourth positions will move on to the fourth round.

Fourth Round (October 2025)

The six advancing teams from the third round will be sorted into two groups of three. The top team from each group will join the initial six qualifiers in securing their berths for World Cup 2026. The second-placed teams in these groups will proceed to the fifth round.

Fifth Round (November 2025)

In November 2025, the two remaining AFC teams will engage in a two-legged battle. The victor of this intense contest will advance to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. There, they will join five other nations to represent the AFC as its sole representative, completing the journey towards the prestigious FIFA World Cup 2026.