2026_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(AFC)
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
International football competition
The Asian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for national teams of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). AFC teams have been allocated eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot.[1]
Quick Facts Tournament details, Dates ...
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 October 2023 – November 2025 |
| Teams | 46 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 91 |
| Goals scored | 281 (3.09 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,510,263 (16,596 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Almoez Ali(7 goals) |
← 2022 2030 →
All statistics correct as of 26 March 2024. | |
Close
The qualification process involves five rounds; the first two also serving as qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
All FIFA-affiliated nations entered the joint qualification process for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup; Northern Mariana Islands, who is not a FIFA member, will enter through the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play-off round.[2]
The qualification format was announced on 1 August 2022, having been revamped to fit the increased finals allocation of eight direct qualifiers and one play-off qualifier:[3]
- First round: 20 teams (ranked 27–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The ten winners advanced to the second round. The best loser qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round, while the remaining teams qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round.
- Second round: 36 teams (ranked 1–26 and ten first-round winners) are divided into nine groups of four teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The nine group winners and group runners-up advance to the third round and automatically qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The remaining teams qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round.
- Third round: 18 teams which advance from the second round are divided into three groups of six teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams of each group qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup, the third and fourth-placed teams advance to the fourth round.
- Fourth round: Six third and fourth-placed teams from the third round are divided into two groups of three teams each. The teams will play against each other once in a neutral venue. The winners of each group qualify for the World Cup, and the runners-up of each group advance to the fifth round.
- Fifth round: The group runners-up in the fourth round will compete home-and-away over two legs to determine the Asian representation at the inter-confederation play-offs.[2]
The draw for the first and second rounds of joint qualification took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27 July 2023.[3][4] The top 26 ranked teams were given byes to the second round, while the 20 teams entering the first round were seeded into two pots of 10 teams each and drawn alternately from pot 1 then pot 2 to form a pairing. The team from pot 1 hosted the first leg and the team from pot 2 hosted the second leg. Pots 1, 2 and 3 for the second round draw contained the teams ranked 1–9, 10–18, and 19–26, respectively, while pot 4 contained placeholders for the ten first round ties. Nine teams were drawn from pot 4 first and placed in position 4 of each group. The tenth team from pot 4 was moved to Pot 3, and subsequently drawn at random from Pot 3. Teams were then drawn into each group sequentially from pots 3, 2, and 1.[3]
More information Bye to second round, Competing in first round ...
| Bye to second round | Competing in first round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Close
The competition schedule is expected to be as follows:[6][7][8][2]
More information Round, Matchday ...
|
|
|
Close
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round
More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan  |
2–0 |  Mongolia |
1–0 | 1–0 |
Maldives  |
2–3 |  Bangladesh |
1–1 | 1–2 |
Singapore  |
3–1 |  Guam |
2–1 | 1–0 |
Yemen  |
4–1 |  Sri Lanka |
3–0 | 1–1 |
Myanmar  |
5–1 |  Macau |
5–1 | 0–0 |
Cambodia  |
0–1 |  Pakistan |
0–0 | 0–1 |
Chinese Taipei  |
7–0 |  East Timor |
4–0 | 3–0 |
Indonesia  |
12–0 |  Brunei |
6–0 | 6–0 |
Hong Kong  |
4–2 |  Bhutan |
4–0 | 0–2 |
Nepal  |
2–1 |  Laos |
1–1 | 1–0 |
Close
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round
Group A
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
 |
|
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar (Q) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | +14 | 12 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 8–1 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | India |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 4 | 0–3 | — | 1–2 | 6 Jun | ||
| 3 | Afghanistan |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 4 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 6 Jun | 0–0 | — | 0–4 | |
| 4 | Kuwait |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 11 Jun | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group B
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan (Q) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 12 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 1–0 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Syria |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 7 | 0–5 | — | 1–0 | 7–0 | ||
| 3 | North Korea |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 0–3[lower-alpha 1] | 6 Jun | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Myanmar |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 19 | −17 | 1 | 6 Jun | 1–1 | 1–6 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
- North Korea were originally scheduled to play host to Japan in Kim Il-sung Stadium. However, North Korea then decided against hosting it due to "a malignant infectious disease" spreading in Japan.[9] Due to the time gap and North Korea's inability to provide an alternative venue, FIFA subsequently decided that the match would neither be played nor rescheduled, and the matter was to be decided by FIFA Disciplinary Committee.[10][11] Japan were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit.[12][13]
Group C
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 10 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 1–1 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | China |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 7 | 0–3 | — | 6 Jun | 4–1 | ||
| 3 | Thailand |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 0–3 | 1–2 | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Singapore |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 14 | −10 | 1 | 6 Jun | 2–2 | 1–3 | — |
Close
Group D
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyrgyzstan |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 9 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 1–0 | 6 Jun | 5–1 | |
| 2 | Oman |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | 11 Jun | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Malaysia |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 6 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 4–3 | 0–2 | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei (Q) |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | 0–2 | 6 Jun | 0–1 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group E
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran (Q) |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 10 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 5–0 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Uzbekistan (Q) |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 10 | 2–2 | — | 6 Jun | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Turkmenistan (Q) |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 1 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 0–1 | 1–3 | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Hong Kong (Q) |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 1 | 6 Jun | 0–2 | 2–2 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group F
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
|
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq (Q) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 12 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 5–1 | 11 Jun | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Indonesia |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 6 Jun | — | 1–0 | 11 Jun | ||
| 3 | Vietnam |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 0–1 | 0–3 | — | 6 Jun | |
| 4 | Philippines |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 1 | 0–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group G
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia[lower-alpha 1] |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 10 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 1–0 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Jordan |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 7 | 0–2 | — | 6 Jun | 7–0 | ||
| 3 | Tajikistan |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 5 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Pakistan (Q) |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 20 | −19 | 0 | 6 Jun | 0–3 | 1–6 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Group H
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates (Q) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 12 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 2–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Bahrain |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 9 | 0–2 | — | 6 Jun | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Yemen |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 3 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 0–3 | 0–2 | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Nepal (Q) |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | −14 | 0 | 6 Jun | 0–5 | 0–2 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Group I
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia (Q) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 | 12 | World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup | — | 11 Jun | 2–0 | 7–0 | |
| 2 | Palestine |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | 0–1 | — | 6 Jun | 5–0 | ||
| 3 | Lebanon |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 2 | Asian Cup qualifying third round | 0–5 | 0–0 | — | 11 Jun | |
| 4 | Bangladesh |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 1 | 6 Jun | 0–1 | 1–1 | — |
Close
Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2024. Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round
Group A
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | A2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | A3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fourth round |
| 4 | A4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | A5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | A6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Close
First match(es) will be played: 5 September 2024. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Group B
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | B2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | B3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fourth round |
| 4 | B4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | B5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | B6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Close
First match(es) will be played: 5 September 2024. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Group C
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | C2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | C3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fourth round |
| 4 | C4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | C5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | C6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Close
First match(es) will be played: 5 September 2024. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Group A
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | A2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fifth round |
| 3 | A3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Close
First match(es) will be played: October 2025. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Group B
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | B2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fifth round |
| 3 | B3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Close
First match(es) will be played: October 2025. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
The two second-placed teams in each group from the fourth round will play against each other over two legs in November 2025 to determine which team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.[2]
More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Nov '25 | Nov '25 | ||
Close
The fifth-round winner will join one team each from CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[14]
There have been 281 goals scored in 91 matches, for an average of 3.09 goals per match (as of 26 March 2024). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.
7 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:
- "Unanimous decision expands FIFA World Cup to 48 teams from 2026". FIFA. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017.
- "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- "Seedings revealed for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw". the-AFC. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- "Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw". AFC. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- "FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2023". FIFA. 20 July 2023.
- "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2023 – Jul 2024)" (PDF). AFC. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2024 – Jul 2025)" (PDF). AFC. 7 April 2023.
- "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026)" (PDF). AFC. 7 April 2023.
- "Football: North Korea not to host World Cup qualifier vs Japan". Mainichi Daily News. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- "Update on Korea DPR v Japan World Cup qualifying match". FIFA. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- "North Korea-Japan qualifier in Pyongyang canceled by FIFA". AP News. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- "Japan awarded 3-0 forfeit win against North Korea". BBC Sport. 30 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- "FIFA規律委員会の決定について 3.26 SAMURAI BLUE 対 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国代表（平壌）～FIFAワールドカップ26アジア2次予選 兼 AFCアジアカップサウジアラビア2027予選～". Japan Football Association. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- Official FIFA World Cup website
- FIFA.com
- FIFA World Cup – the-AFC.com