2026 World Cup qualifying - AFC: Fixtures, results, table & how it works
- Japan, Australia, Iran and South Korea among favourites to qualify
- 36 nations from Asia are competing to make it to the 2026 World Cup
- The round two group stage is now underway
By Euan Burns
It may still feel like the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has only just finished but the process of qualifying for the biggest tournament in football starts incredibly early all over the world.
FIFA World Cup qualification is split into federations, meaning countries play other nations from the same continent to reach football's showpiece event. The Asian Football Confederation contains some great teams who often cause pleasant surprises at World Cups.
With the AFC World Cup qualification process having got underway in October, here's how it all works and what you can expect in Asia in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
2026 World Cup AFC qualifying - Quick Links
How does AFC World Cup qualification work?
World Cup qualification differs in each federation. There are limits on how many teams from each continent can take part in a tournament, as well as the number of entrants in the first place.
A new, revamped format for the 2026 World Cup was announced in August 2022, taking into account the increased allocation of eight direct qualifiers and one play-off qualifier for the finals.
All of the 46 partaking AFC nations are ranked according to their FIFA ranking, so Japan are first (20th in the world) and Sri Lanka 46th (204th in the world).
First round
The first round is contested by the teams ranked 27-46 who play two-legged ties home and away. The ten tie winners go into the next round.
Second round
The second round has 36 teams; the remaining teams ranked 1-26 and the ten winners from the first round. They are divided into nine groups of four, playing each other home and away.
The nine group winners and nine runners-up advance to the third round and qualify for the AFC Asian Cup in the process.
Third round
18 teams are divided into three groups of six, playing each other home and away with the top two of each group qualifying directly for the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams go into the fourth round.
Fourth round
Those six teams are split into two groups of three, playing each other once at a neutral venue. The two group winners qualify for the World Cup and the two runners-up go into the fifth round.
Fifth round
These two teams compete home and away over two legs to decide which team is the Asian representative at the inter-confederation play-offs.
AFC 2026 World Cup qualifying first round results
Here are the aggregate scores from the first round of AFC World Cup qualifying:
- Afghanistan (32) 2-0 Mongolia (38)
- Maldives (30) 2-3 Bangladesh (41)
- Singapore (33) 3-1 Guam (45)
- Yemen (31) 4-1 Sri Lanka (46)
- Myanmar (34) 5-1 Macau (37)
- Cambodia (36) 0-1 Pakistan (44)
- Taiwan (29) 7-1 Timor-Leste (43)
- Indonesia (28) 12-0 Brunei (42)
- Hong Kong (27) 4-2 Bhutan (39)
- Nepal (35) 2-1 Laos (40)
*the number in brackets denotes FIFA world ranking
AFC 2026 World Cup qualification groups
Group A
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Qatar | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 11:1 | 6 |
2 | Kuwait | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 4:1 | 3 |
3 | India | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 1:3 | 3 |
4 | Afghanistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -11 | 1:12 | 0 |
Group B
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 10:0 | 6 |
2 | North Korea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 6:2 | 3 |
3 | Syria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 1:5 | 3 |
4 | Myanmar | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -10 | 1:11 | 0 |
Group C
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Korea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 8:0 | 6 |
2 | Thailand | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 4:3 | 3 |
3 | China | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 2:4 | 3 |
4 | Singapore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 1:8 | 0 |
Group D
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Malaysia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 5:3 | 6 |
2 | Oman | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 3:1 | 3 |
3 | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4:4 | 3 |
4 | Taiwan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 0:4 | 0 |
Group E
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iran | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 6:2 | 4 |
2 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 5:3 | 4 |
3 | Turkmenistan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 3:5 | 1 |
4 | Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 2:6 | 1 |
Group F
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iraq | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 6:1 | 6 |
2 | Vietnam | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 2:1 | 3 |
3 | Philippines | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1:3 | 1 |
4 | Indonesia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 2:6 | 1 |
Group G
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Saudi Arabia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 6:0 | 6 |
2 | Tajikistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 7:2 | 4 |
3 | Jordan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1:3 | 1 |
4 | Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -9 | 1:10 | 0 |
Group H
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United Arab Emirates | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 6:0 | 6 |
2 | Bahrain | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2:2 | 3 |
3 | Yemen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2:2 | 3 |
4 | Nepal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 0:6 | 0 |
Group I
Pos. | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 8:0 | 6 |
2 | Lebanon | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1:1 | 2 |
3 | Palestine | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0:1 | 1 |
4 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -7 | 1:8 | 1 |
AFC 2026 World Cup qualifying second round fixtures & results
Matchday 1
Date | Kick-off Time (GMT) | Group | Fixture/Result |
|---|---|---|---|
16/11/23 | 09:15 | I | Australia 7-0 Bangladesh |
16/11/23 | 10:00 | B | Japan 5-0 Myanmar |
16/11/23 | 11:00 | C | South Korea 5-0 Singapore |
16/11/23 | 11:00 | F | Philippines 0-2 Vietnam |
16/11/23 | 12:30 | C | Thailand 1-2 China |
16/11/23 | 13:00 | D | Malaysia 4-3 Kyrgyzstan |
16/11/23 | 13:00 | G | Tajikistan 1-1 Jordan |
16/11/23 | 14:00 | E | Turkmenistan 1-3 Uzbekistan |
16/11/23 | 14:00 | I | Lebanon 0-0 Palestine |
16/11/23 | 14:30 | E | Iran 4-0 Hong Kong |
16/11/23 | 14:45 | F | Iraq 5-1 Indonesia |
16/11/23 | 15:00 | D | Oman 3-0 Taiwan |
16/11/23 | 15:45 | H | UAE 4-0 Nepal |
16/11/23 | 15:45 | A | Qatar 8-1 Afghanistan |
16/11/23 | 16:30 | G | Saudi Arabia 4-0 Pakistan |
16/11/23 | 16:30 | A | Kuwait 0-1 India |
16/11/23 | 17:00 | B | Syria 1-0 North Korea |
16/11/23 | 18:00 | H | Yemen 0-2 Bahrain |
Matchday 2
Date | Kick-off Time (GMT) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
21/11/23 | 09:00 | G | Pakistan 1-6 Tajikistan |
21/11/23 | 09:30 | B | Myanmar 1-6 North Korea |
21/11/23 | 11:00 | F | Philippines 1-1 Indonesia |
21/11/23 | 11:00 | D | Taiwan 0-1 Malaysia |
21/11/23 | 11:45 | I | Bangladesh 1-1 Lebanon |
21/11/23 | 12:00 | C | Singapore 1-3 Thailand |
21/11/23 | 12:00 | F | Vietnam 0-1 Iraq |
21/11/23 | 12:00 | C | China 0-3 South Korea |
21/11/23 | 12:00 | E | Hong Kong 2-2 Turkmenistan |
21/11/23 | 13:00 | E | Uzbekistan 2-2 Iran |
21/11/23 | 13:15 | H | Nepal 0-2 Yemen |
21/11/23 | 13:30 | A | India 0-3 Qatar |
21/11/23 | 14:00 | I | Palestine 0-1 Australia |
21/11/23 | 14:00 | D | Kyrgyzstan 1-0 Oman |
21/11/23 | 14:45 | B | Syria 0-5 Japan |
21/11/23 | 15:45 | H | Bahrain 0-2 UAE |
21/11/23 | 16:00 | G | Jordan 0-2 Saudi Arabia |
21/11/23 | 17:00 | A | Afghanistan 0-4 Kuwait |
Matchday 3
Date | Kick-off Time (GMT) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | Afghanistan v India |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | Qatar v Kuwait |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | Japan v North Korea |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | Myanmar v Syria |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | South Korea v Thailand |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | Singapore v China |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Taiwan v Kyrgyzstan |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Oman v Malaysia |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Hong Kong v Uzbekistan |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Iran v Turkmenistan |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Iraq v Philippines |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Indonesia v Vietnam |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Saudi Arabia v Tajikistan |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Pakistan v Jordan |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | Nepal v Bahrain |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | UAE v Yemen |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Australia v Lebanon |
21/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Bangladesh v Palestine |
Matchday 4
Date | Kick-off Time (GMT) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | Kuwait v Qatar |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | India v Afghanistan |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | North Korea v Japan |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | Syria v Myanmar |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | China v Singapore |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | Thailand v South Korea |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Malaysia v Oman |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Kyrgyzstan v Taiwan |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Turkmenistan v Iran |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Uzbekistan v Hong Kong |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Vietnam v Indonesia |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Philippines v Iraq |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Tajikistan v Saudi Arabia |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Jordan v Pakistan |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | Yemen v UAE |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | Bahrain v Nepal |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Palestine v Bangladesh |
26/03/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Lebanon v Australia |
Matchday 5
Date | Kick-off Time (GMT) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | Afghanistan v Qatar |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | India v Kuwait |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | Myanmar v Japan |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | North Korea v Syria |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | Singapore v South Korea |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | China v Thailand |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Taiwan v Oman |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Kyrgyzstan v Malaysia |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Hong Kong v Iran |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Uzbekistan v Turkmenistan |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Indonesia v Iraq |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Vietnam v Philippines |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Jordan v Tajikistan |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Pakistan v Saudi Arabia |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | Nepal v UAE |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | Bahrain v Yemen |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Palestine v Lebanon |
06/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Bangladesh v Australia |
Matchday 6
Date | Kick-off Time (GMT) | Group | Fixture |
|---|---|---|---|
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | Kuwait v Afghanistan |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | A | Qatar v India |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | Japan v Syria |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | B | North Korea v Myanmar |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | South Korea v China |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | C | Thailand v Singapore |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Oman v Kyrgyzstan |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | D | Malaysia v Taiwan |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Iran v Uzbekistan |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | E | Turkmenistan v Hong Kong |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Iraq v Vietnam |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | F | Indonesia v Philippines |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Tajikistan v Pakistan |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | G | Saudi Arabia v Jordan |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | UAE v Bahrain |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | H | Yemen v Nepal |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Lebanon v Bangladesh |
11/06/24 (TBC) | 11:00 (TBC) | I | Australia v Palestine |
READ MORE ON THE STATE OF 2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION AROUND THE GLOBE
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