2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification is the qualification process organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to determine the participating teams for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, the 19th edition of the international men's football championship of Asia. Since 2019, the Asian Cup final tournament is contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format that was used from 2004 to 2015.[1][2]

2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates12 October 2023 – 31 March 2026
Teams46[note 1] (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played127
Goals scored382 (3.01 per match)
Attendance2,230,860 (17,566 per match)
Top scorer(s) Almoez Ali
Son Heung-min
(7 goals each)
AFC Asian Qualifiers
FIFA World Cup
AFC Asian Cup

The qualification process involves four rounds, where the first two rounds double as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification for Asian teams.

Format

The qualification structure is as follows:[3]

  • First round: 20 teams (ranked 27–46) will play home-and-away over two legs.
    • 10 winners advance to the second round.
    • 3 best ranked losing teams advance to the third round of Asian Cup qualification.
    • 6 worst ranked losing teams advance to the play-off round of Asian Cup qualification.[note 2]
  • Second round: 36 teams (ranked 1–26 and 10 first-round winners) are divided into 9 groups of 4 teams to play home-and-away double round-robin matches.
    • The 9 group winners and 9 group runners-up qualify for the Asian Cup along with host Saudi Arabia and advance to the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
    • The remaining 18 teams advance to the third round of Asian Cup qualification.
  • Play-off round: 6 teams (the worst ranked losing teams from the first round) will play home-and-away over two legs that determine the final 3 qualifiers for the third round.[4][note 2]
  • Third round: 24 teams (3 best ranked losing team from the first round + 18 third and fourth-placed teams from the second round + 3 winners from the play-off round) will be divided into 6 groups of 4 teams to play home-and-away double round-robin matches and the winner of each group will occupy the remaining 6 slots for the Asian Cup.

Entrants

Forty-six FIFA-affiliated nations are eligible to enter the joint qualification process for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup; Northern Mariana Islands, which is not a FIFA member, would have entered through the play-off round.[3] However, it was not included in the draw for the play-off round.[4]

The draw for the first and second rounds of joint qualification took place on 27 July 2023.[5] Teams were seeded into four pots. Pots 1, 2 and 3 contain the teams ranked 1–9, 10-18 and 19-26 respectively, while Pot 4 contains the remaining 20 teams (ranked 27–46). All teams from Pot 4 were drawn to the first round into two pots. Teams from Pots 1, 2 and 3 were drawn directly to the second round, along with an allocated first-round tie winner.[6][5]

From the July 2023 FIFA World Rankings[7]
Bye to second round Competing in first round
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 1 Pot 2
  1.  Japan (20)
  2.  Iran (22)
  3.  Australia (27)
  4.  South Korea (28)
  5.  Saudi Arabia (54)
  6.  Qatar (59)
  7.  Iraq (70)
  8.  United Arab Emirates (72)
  9.  Oman (73)
  1.  Uzbekistan (74)
  2.  China (80)
  3.  Jordan (82)
  4.  Bahrain (86)
  5.  Syria (94)
  6.  Vietnam (95)
  7.  Palestine (96)
  8.  Kyrgyzstan (97)
  9.  India (99)
  1.  Lebanon (100)
  2.  Tajikistan (110)
  3.  Thailand (113)
  4.  North Korea (115)
  5.  Philippines (135)
  6.  Malaysia (136)
  7.  Kuwait (137)
  8.  Turkmenistan (138)
  1.  Hong Kong (149)
  2.  Indonesia (150)
  3.  Chinese Taipei (153)
  4.  Maldives (155)
  5.  Yemen (156)
  6.  Afghanistan (157)
  7.  Singapore (158)
  8.  Myanmar (160)
  9.    Nepal (175)
  10.  Cambodia (176)
  1.  Macau (182)
  2.  Mongolia (183)
  3.  Bhutan (185)
  4.  Laos (187)
  5.  Bangladesh (189)
  6.  Brunei (190)
  7.  East Timor (192)
  8.  Pakistan (201)
  9.  Guam (203)
  10.  Sri Lanka (204)

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is expected to be as follows, according to the AFC Competitions Calendar.[8][9][10] This is the first Asian Cup qualification that starts before the previous final matches would be held, as the 2023 AFC Asian Cup was postponed to early 2024.

Round Matchday Date(s)
First round First leg 12 October 2023
Second leg 17 October 2023
Second round Matchday 1 16 November 2023
Matchday 2 21 November 2023
Matchday 3 21 March 2024
Matchday 4 26 March 2024
Matchday 5 6 June 2024
Matchday 6 11 June 2024
Round Matchday Date
Play-off round First leg 5 September 2024
Second leg 10 September 2024
Third round Matchday 1 25 March 2025
Matchday 2 10 June 2025
Matchday 3 9 September 2025
Matchday 4 14 October 2025
Matchday 5 18 November 2025
Matchday 6 31 March 2026

First round
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round

The draw for the first round was held on 27 July 2023 at 14:00 MST (UTC+8) at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[5]

Summary
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Afghanistan 2–0 Mongolia1–01–0
Maldives 2–3 Bangladesh1–11–2
Singapore 3–1 Guam2–11–0
Yemen 4–1 Sri Lanka3–01–1
Myanmar 5–1 Macau5–10–0
Cambodia 0–1 Pakistan0–00–1
Chinese Taipei 7–0 East Timor4–03–0
Indonesia 12–0 Brunei6–06–0
Hong Kong 4–2 Bhutan4–00–2
Nepal   2–1 Laos1–11–0

Ranking of best losing teams
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Bhutan 2 1 0 1 2 4 −2 3 Asian Cup qualifying third round
2  Maldives 2 0 1 1 2 3 −1 1
3  Laos 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 1
4  Cambodia 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1 1 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round
5  Sri Lanka 2 0 1 1 1 4 −3 1
6  Macau 2 0 1 1 1 5 −4 1
7  Guam 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0 Not participating in play-off round
8  Mongolia 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 0 Asian Cup qualifying play-off round
9  East Timor 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 0
10  Brunei 2 0 0 2 0 12 −12 0
Source: AFC

Second round
Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round

The draw for the second round was held on 27 July 2023 at 16:00 MST (UTC+8) at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[5]

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Qatar 6 5 1 0 18 3 +15 16 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 3–0 2–1 8–1
2  Kuwait 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 7 1–2 — 0–1 1–0
3  India 6 1 2 3 3 7 −4 5 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 0–0 — 1–2
4  Afghanistan 6 1 2 3 3 14 −11 5 0–0 0–4 0–0 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Japan 6 6 0 0 24 0 +24 18 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 1–0 5–0 5–0
2  North Korea 6 3 0 3 11 7 +4 9 0–3[lower-alpha 1] — 1–0 4–1
3  Syria 6 2 1 3 9 12 −3 7 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–5 1–0 — 7–0
4  Myanmar 6 0 1 5 3 28 −25 1 0–5 1–6 1–1 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Japan were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit, after North Korea refused to host the match citing concerns about a disease spreading in Japan.

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 6 5 1 0 20 1 +19 16 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 1–0 1–1 5–0
2  China 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8[lower-alpha 1] 0–3 — 1–1 4–1
3  Thailand 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8[lower-alpha 1] Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 1–2 — 3–1
4  Singapore 6 0 1 5 5 24 −19 1 0–7 2–2 1–3 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: China 4, Thailand 1.

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Oman 6 4 1 1 11 2 +9 13 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 1–1 2–0 3–0
2  Kyrgyzstan 6 3 2 1 13 7 +6 11 1–0 — 1–1 5–1
3  Malaysia 6 3 1 2 9 9 0 10 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–2 4–3 — 3–1
4  Chinese Taipei 6 0 0 6 2 17 −15 0 0–3 0–2 0–1 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 6 4 2 0 16 4 +12 14 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 0–0 5–0 4–0
2  Uzbekistan 6 4 2 0 13 4 +9 14 2–2 — 3–1 3–0
3  Turkmenistan 6 0 2 4 4 14 −10 2 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–1 1–3 — 0–0
4  Hong Kong 6 0 2 4 4 15 −11 2 2–4 0–2 2–2 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iraq 6 6 0 0 17 2 +15 18 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 5–1 3–1 1–0
2  Indonesia 6 3 1 2 8 8 0 10 0–2 — 1–0 2–0
3  Vietnam 6 2 0 4 6 10 −4 6 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–1 0–3 — 3–2
4  Philippines 6 0 1 5 3 14 −11 1 0–5 1–1 0–2 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Jordan 6 4 1 1 16 4 +12 13 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 0–2 3–0 7–0
2  Saudi Arabia[lower-alpha 1] 6 4 1 1 12 3 +9 13 World Cup qualifying third round 1–2 — 1–0 4–0
3  Tajikistan 6 2 2 2 11 7 +4 8 Asian Cup qualifying third round 1–1 1–1 — 3–0
4  Pakistan 6 0 0 6 1 26 −25 0 0–3 0–3 1–6 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Saudi Arabia already qualified for the Asian Cup as the host nation and are competing to qualify to World Cup.

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United Arab Emirates 6 5 1 0 16 2 +14 16 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 1–1 2–1 4–0
2  Bahrain 6 3 2 1 11 3 +8 11 0–2 — 0–0 3–0
3  Yemen 6 1 2 3 5 9 −4 5 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–3 0–2 — 2–2
4    Nepal 6 0 1 5 2 20 −18 1 0–4 0–5 0–2 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group I

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Australia 6 6 0 0 22 0 +22 18 World Cup qualifying third round and Asian Cup — 5–0 2–0 7–0
2  Palestine 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8 0–1 — 0–0 5–0
3  Lebanon 6 1 3 2 5 8 −3 6 Asian Cup qualifying third round 0–5 0–0 — 4–0
4  Bangladesh 6 0 1 5 1 20 −19 1 0–2 0–1 1–1 —
Source: FIFA AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Play-off round
Main article: 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Sri Lanka  Cambodia5 Sep10 Sep
East Timor  Mongolia5 Sep10 Sep
Brunei  Macau5 Sep10 Sep

Third round
Main article: 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2027 AFC Asian Cup
2 A2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 A3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 A4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 B1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2027 AFC Asian Cup
2 B2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 B3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 B4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2027 AFC Asian Cup
2 C2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 C4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2027 AFC Asian Cup
2 D2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 D3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 D4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 E1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2027 AFC Asian Cup
2 E2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 E3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 E4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 F1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2027 AFC Asian Cup
2 F2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 F3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 F4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Qualified teams

A total of 24 teams will qualify for the final tournament including the host Saudi Arabia.

Team Method of
qualification		 Date of
qualification		 Finals
appearances		 Last
appearance		 Previous best
performance
 Saudi ArabiaHosts and Second round Group G runner-up1 February 202312th2023Winners (1984, 1988, 1996)
 AustraliaSecond round Group I winners26 March 20246th2023Winners (2015)
 IraqSecond round Group F winners26 March 202411th2023Winners (2007)
 IranSecond round Group E winners26 March 202416th2023Winners (1968, 1972, 1976)
 UzbekistanSecond round Group E runners-up26 March 20249th2023Fourth place (2011)
 QatarSecond round Group A winners26 March 202412th2023Winners (2019, 2023)
 United Arab EmiratesSecond round Group H winners26 March 202412th2023Runners-up (1996)
 JapanSecond round Group B winners2 April 202411th2023Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
 South KoreaSecond round Group C winners6 June 202416th2023Winners (1956, 1960)
 OmanSecond round Group D winners6 June 20246th2023Round of 16 (2019)
 PalestineSecond round Group I runners-up6 June 20244th2023Round of 16 (2023)
 BahrainSecond round Group H runners-up6 June 20248th2023Fourth place (2004)
 JordanSecond round Group G winners6 June 20246th2023Runners-up (2023)
 ChinaSecond round Group C runners-up11 June 202414th2023Runners-up (1984, 2004)
 IndonesiaSecond round Group F runners-up11 June 20246th2023Round of 16 (2023)
 North KoreaSecond round Group B runners-up11 June 20246th2019Fourth place (1980)
 KuwaitSecond round Group A runners-up11 June 202411th2015Winners (1980)
 KyrgyzstanSecond round Group D runners-up11 June 20243rd2023Round of 16 (2019)
TBDThird round group A winners
TBDThird round group B winners
TBDThird round group C winners
TBDThird round group D winners
TBDThird round group E winners
TBDThird round group F winners

Top goalscorers

There have been 382 goals scored in 127 matches, for an average of 3.01 goals per match (as of 11 June 2024). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

7 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

The lists below show all goal scorers for each round:

See also

Notes
  1. Saudi Arabia participated to reach the World Cup.
  2. Originally was announced to be 10 teams (9 worst ranked losing teams from the first round + Northern Mariana Islands). However, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands were not included in the draw for the play-off round announced on 1 May 2024.

    References
    1. "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Asian Football Confederation. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
    2. "AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 10 September 2020.
    3. "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
    4. "Six teams to contest Qualifiers Playoff for Saudi Arabia 2027". AFC. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
    5. "Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw". AFC. 5 July 2023.
    6. Nasir, Saad (23 June 2023). "Pakistan's Draws for FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers Revealed". ProSports. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
    7. "FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2023". FIFA. 20 July 2023.
    8. "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2023 - Jul 2024)" (PDF). AFC.
    9. "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2024 - Jul 2025)" (PDF). AFC.
    10. "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2025 - Jul 2026)" (PDF). AFC.
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