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The Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 have been started. Here is the complete guide on what AFC teams need to do to qualify for the finals. An explanation for each round of the qualification is mentioned over here. Like previous editions, every team will go through qualifiers and the successful teams will book their spot in one of the 48 World Cup teams.
What is the format of Asian Qualifiers?
As there will be 48 teams in the 2026 World Cup, more teams will be able to play in the finals. So the slots for every Confederation have been increased. The qualification matches of the AFC started on 12 October 2023 and the last qualifier match will be played in November 2025. Check out the schedule of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
How many teams can qualify from Asia (AFC)?
A total of 9 teams from the Asian Confederation can qualify for the 2026 World Cup. 8 teams will qualify through the qualification round and one team will have to play Intercontinental play-offs with the team from another Confederation.
AFC Qualification First Round
The Asian teams ranked from 27 to 46 played the first round. So the 1st round was played by 20 teams in home and away format. Out of these 20 teams, 10 teams qualified for the 2nd Round.
Teams qualified from 1st Round: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Yemen, Myanmar, Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Nepal.
Second Round
These 10 qualified teams joined the teams ranked from 1 to 26 (Asian rankings) to play in the 2nd round. The second round is being played by 36 teams (26 remaining + 10 qualified from 1st round).
The 36 teams were divided into 9 groups of 4 teams each through a draw that was conducted on 27 July 2023. They are currently playing the second round in home and away format. Each team will play 2 games against their group rivals. The top 2 teams from each group will qualify for the Third Round of the AFC Qualification.
- Group A
- Group B
- Group C
- Group D
- Group E
- Group F
- Group G
- Group H
- Group I
Group A Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts. | Qualification |
| 1 | Qatar | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | Third Round |
| 2 | India | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Third Round |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Group B Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Third Round |
| 2 | Syria | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Third Round |
| 3 | North Korea | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Myanmar | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Group C Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | South Korea | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Third Round |
| 2 | China | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Third Round |
| 3 | Thailand | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Singapore | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Group D Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | Kyrgyzstan | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | Third Round |
| 2 | Oman | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | Third Round |
| 3 | Malaysia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Chiese Taipei | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group E Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | Iran | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Third Round |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Third Round |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Group F Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | Iraq | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Third Round |
| 2 | Indonesia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Third Round |
| 3 | Vietnam | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Philippines | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Group G Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Third Round |
| 2 | Jordan | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Third Round |
| 3 | Tajikistan | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group H Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | UAE | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Third Round |
| 2 | Bahrain | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | Third Round |
| 3 | Yemen | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Nepal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group I Standings
| No. | Team | M | W | D | L | P | Qualification |
| 1 | Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Third Round |
| 2 | Palestine | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Third Round |
| 3 | Lebanon | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Third Round
The 3rd round will consist of 18 teams. These 18 teams will be divided into 3 groups of 6 teams each. Again, home and away games will be played and the top 2 teams from each group of the 3rd round will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In short, teams that finish at the 1st or 2nd spot in the 3rd round of the AFC qualification will directly make it to the finals of 2026. However, 3rd and 4th place teams from each group will advance to the 4th round. In this way, 6 teams will qualify for the next round.
Fourth Round
These 6 teams will be divided into 2 groups or 3 teams each. Once again, home and away matches will decide who’s going to the United States. Each of the group winners will book its place in the finals of the 2026 World Cup and runner up of the groups to play the fifth round.
Fifth Round
Group runners-up from the previous round will play two legs against each other and the winner will qualify for the Inter-Confederation Play-Offs. These Inter Confederation playoffs are scheduled to be held in 2026 before the World Cup.
So this is the format of the World Cup Asian qualifiers. I hope you understand this format. If you still have any queries or doubts, ask me in the comment section below. Don’t forget to share it with others.
