# AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

The AFC Asian Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the final tournament of AFC Asian Cup. The qualification reduces the large field of eligible entrants from 47 to just 24 for the finals.
The hosts receive automatic berths, and between 1972 and 2015 (except 1976), so did the defending champions.

## Format evolution

Over the past century, the AFC Asian Cup has seen various changes in its qualification format as well as the number of teams participating.
Number of teams entering qualification :
| | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2019 | 2023 | 2027 |
| Total entrants | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 24 | 22 | 35 | 42 | 43 | 25 | 27 | 20 | 46 | 46 | 47 |
| Played at least one match | 6 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 33 | 42 | 43 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 45 | 46 | 46 |
| Qualified via qualification | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Qualified without playing | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total finalists | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
* ↑ The notation used in the logo for the qualifiers is "AFC Asian Qualifiers".
* 1 2 1 team qualified by walkover
* 1 2 2 teams qualified by walkover
* 1 2 3 The host qualified automatically for the Asian Cup but participated in the qualification as a World Cup qualifier.

### 1956

The 19 teams were divided in to three different zones based upon their location. In each zone, the teams played in a two legged Knockout format. The four winners of first round advanced to the next round. The two winners in the second round advanced to final which decided the team participating in the final tournament along with the hosts.

### 1960–1972

From 1960, the format had a slight change. The participating teams were again divided into zones based upon their location. The teams in their zones played against each other once, in a round robin format. The group topper of each zone advanced to the final tournament along with the hosts.

### 1972–1980

Starting from 1972, the format saw another change. Instead of zones, the teams were now divided into groups, with two teams instead of one advancing to the final tournament along with the hosts. Also the number of teams participating in the final tournament was increased to six and then to ten in 1980.

### 1984 & 1988

For a brief period, the teams were divided into groups not based on their location. This saw teams from all zones competing against each other in Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time since its inception. Two teams from each group qualified for the final tournament, along with the winners of previous edition who received a direct entry and as well as the hosts.

### 1992–2000

The format was reverted to an older one where teams were segregated based upon their location, but this time the number of participating nations increased. Winners of previous edition and the hosts were joined by the winner of each groups in qualifiers. The number of participants in the final tournament was increased to 12.

### 2004 & 2007

The tournament started from the preliminary round where the lower ranked teams played against each other, the winners of this round qualified for the qualifying round. In the qualifying round, top two teams from each group qualified for the final tournament. Participation of teams in the final tournament increased from 12 to 16.

### 2011 & 2015

The hosts, previous edition's winners, runner-up and third placed sides automatically qualified for the final tournament. AFC Challenge Cup winners(2) were also awarded a slot in the final tournament. The remaining ten slots were decided by the qualifying tournament in which the lower ranked teams played in preliminary rounds and the winners advanced to the qualifying round. In the qualifying round, the top two teams from each group received a berth in the final tournament.

### 2019–present

The proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds for FIFA World Cup qualifiers with those for the Asian Cup was ratified by the AFC Competitions Committee.
The tournament was expanded to 24 teams from previous number of 16.
The qualification structure is as follows:
* First round: A total of 12 teams (teams ranked 35–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round.
* Second round: A total of 40 teams (teams ranked 1–34 and six first round winners) were divided into eight groups of five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches.
** The eight group winners and the four best group runners-up advanced to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification as well as qualified for the AFC Asian Cup finals.
** The next 16 highest ranked teams (the remaining four group runners-up, the eight third-placed teams and the four best group fourth-placed teams) advanced directly to the third round of Asian Cup qualification.
** The remaining 12 teams entered the play-off round to contest the remaining eight spots in the third round of Asian Cup qualification.
* Play-off round: At a Competition Committee meeting in November 2014, it was decided that a play-off round of qualifying would be introduced into the qualification procedure. There were two rounds of home-and-away two-legged play-off matches to determine the final eight qualifiers for the third round.
* Third round: The 24 teams were divided into six groups of four to play home-and-away round-robin matches, and they competed for the remaining slots of the AFC Asian Cup.
The play-off round represented a change from the initially announced qualification format – which saw the remaining fourth-placed teams and the four best group fifth-placed teams also advance to the third round.

## Participating teams

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for the purposes of first appearance. Teams that withdrew prior to the qualification, or that qualified to the AFC Asian Cup by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals, are not considered.
First appearance in qualification by team :
| Year | Debuting teams | Debuting teams | Debuting teams | Successor teams | Renamed teams |
| Year | Teams | No. | CT | Successor teams | Renamed teams |
| 1956 | Cambodia, Malaya, Philippines, Republic of China, South Korea, South Vietnam | 6 | 6 | | |
| 1960 | Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Singapore | 6 | 12 | | |
| 1964 | Thailand | 1 | 13 | Malaysia | |
| 1968 | Burma, Indonesia, Japan | 3 | 16 | | |
| 1972 | Bahrain, Brunei, Ceylon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria | 8 | 24 | | Khmer Republic |
| 1976 | Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia | 5 | 29 | | |
| 1980 | Bangladesh, Macau, United Arab Emirates | 3 | 32 | | Sri Lanka |
| 1984 | Nepal, North Yemen, Oman | 3 | 35 | | |
| 1988 | South Yemen | 1 | 36 | | |
| 1992 | None | 0 | 36 | | Chinese Taipei |
| 1996 | Guam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | 7 | 43 | Yemen Vietnam | Myanmar |
| 2000 | Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Palestine | 4 | 47 | | Cambodia |
| 2004 | Timor-Leste | 1 | 48 | | |
| 2007 | Australia | 1 | 49 | | |
| 2011 | None | 0 | 49 | | |
| 2015 | None | 0 | 49 | | |
| 2019 | None | 0 | 49 | | |
| 2023 | None | 0 | 49 | | |
| 2027 | None | 0 | 49 | | |

### Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification

* ↑ Qualified automatically for the 1956 Asian Cup as host.
* 1 2 3 4 Withdrew from the 1956 qualification before playing.
* ↑ Qualified by walkover for the 1956 finals.
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1956 and 1960 qualification before playing.
* 1 2 Withdrew from the 1956, 1960 and 1964 qualifications before playing.
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1956 and 1964 qualification before playing. In 1960 Indonesia declined to participate due to an AFC membership dispute
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968 qualifications before playing.
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1968 qualification before playing.
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 qualifications before playing.
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1976 qualification before playing.
* 1 2 Withdrew from the 1972, 1976 and 1980 qualifications before playing.
* ↑ Qualified automatically for the 1976 finals. Withdrew from the 1980 and 1984 qualifications before playing.
* ↑ Withdrew from the 1992 qualification before playing.

### Successor and renamed teams

* 1 2 3 Cambodia was renamed as Khmer Republic in the 1972 qualification, then entered the 1980 qualification as Democratic Kampuchea but withdrew, and in the 2000 qualification again using the name Cambodia
* 1 2 Malaya was succeeded by Malaysia from the 1964 qualification.
* 1 2 The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1992 qualification.
* 1 2 South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1996 qualification.
* 1 2 Burma was renamed as Myanmar from the 1996 qualification.
* 1 2 Ceylon was renamed as Sri Lanka from the 1980 qualification.
* 1 2 North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.

## Team records

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the three points for a win system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions among all teams.
The "Qualifying attempts" column only counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match, while the "Appearances in the finals" also include automatic qualifiers.
As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
* Key
* Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process
* Team has qualified for the main tournament only automatically as host
* Team has not qualified for the main tournament
* Team is not a member of AFC but has qualified for the main tournament
* Defunct team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover
* Team is not a member of AFC and is not eligible for the main tournament
Teams in bold are currently participating or are yet to start in the 2027 qualification. The table is updated to the matches played after 2023 qualification.
| No. | Team | Qualifying attempts | Qualifying attempts | Appearances in the finals | Overall qualification record | Overall qualification record | Overall qualification record | Overall qualification record | Overall qualification record | Overall qualification record | Overall qualification record | Points | Points |
| No. | Team | Total | Successful | Appearances in the finals | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Avg |
| 1 | Iran | 12 | 11 | 15 | 70 | 53 | 10 | 7 | 210 | 37 | +173 | 169 | 2.414 |
| 2 | China | 12 | 12 | 13 | 60 | 41 | 11 | 8 | 178 | 26 | +152 | 134 | 2.233 |
| 3 | Qatar | 11 | 9 | 11 | 58 | 41 | 7 | 10 | 134 | 38 | +96 | 130 | 2.241 |
| 4 | South Korea | 13 | 10 | 15 | 56 | 41 | 6 | 9 | 186 | 24 | +162 | 129 | 2.304 |
| 5 | Thailand | 15 | 8 | 8 | 81 | 38 | 15 | 28 | 155 | 107 | +48 | 129 | 1.593 |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates | 11 | 10 | 11 | 56 | 40 | 8 | 8 | 153 | 34 | +119 | 128 | 2.286 |
| 7 | Syria | 13 | 7 | 7 | 68 | 38 | 11 | 19 | 134 | 68 | +66 | 125 | 1.838 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 8 | 8 | 11 | 48 | 39 | 6 | 3 | 152 | 21 | +131 | 123 | 2.563 |
| 9 | Jordan | 11 | 5 | 5 | 69 | 35 | 18 | 16 | 123 | 58 | +65 | 123 | 1.783 |
| 10 | Oman | 10 | 5 | 5 | 61 | 36 | 7 | 18 | 140 | 60 | +80 | 115 | 1.885 |
| 11 | Bahrain | 11 | 7 | 7 | 65 | 34 | 9 | 22 | 95 | 59 | +36 | 111 | 1.708 |
| 12 | Japan | 8 | 6 | 10 | 44 | 35 | 4 | 5 | 138 | 19 | +119 | 109 | 2.477 |
| 13 | Iraq | 9 | 9 | 10 | 49 | 33 | 10 | 6 | 102 | 35 | +67 | 109 | 2.224 |
| 14 | Malaysia | 17 | 3 | 4 | 88 | 31 | 16 | 41 | 148 | 162 | –14 | 109 | 1.239 |
| 15 | Kuwait | 11 | 7 | 10 | 60 | 30 | 16 | 14 | 133 | 57 | +76 | 106 | 1.767 |
| 16 | Uzbekistan | 8 | 8 | 8 | 47 | 33 | 5 | 9 | 112 | 39 | +73 | 104 | 2.212 |
| 17 | Hong Kong | 17 | 3 | 4 | 92 | 28 | 23 | 41 | 117 | 133 | –16 | 107 | 1.163 |
| 18 | Vietnam | 12 | 4 | 5 | 59 | 25 | 10 | 24 | 101 | 87 | +14 | 85 | 1.441 |
| 19 | North Korea | 7 | 6 | 5 | 45 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 70 | 48 | +22 | 80 | 1.777 |
| 20 | Indonesia | 13 | 4 | 5 | 64 | 21 | 12 | 31 | 96 | 103 | –7 | 75 | 1.171 |
| 21 | Lebanon | 8 | 2 | 3 | 53 | 21 | 10 | 22 | 72 | 71 | +1 | 73 | 1.377 |
| 22 | India | 11 | 3 | 5 | 63 | 19 | 11 | 33 | 73 | 106 | –33 | 68 | 1.079 |
| 23 | Singapore | 13 | 0 | 1 | 74 | 19 | 11 | 44 | 81 | 141 | –60 | 68 | 0.918 |
| 24 | Australia | 4 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 70 | 13 | +57 | 65 | 2.500 |
| 25 | Yemen | 10 | 1 | 1 | 70 | 17 | 13 | 40 | 75 | 139 | –64 | 64 | 0.914 |
| 26 | Turkmenistan | 5 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 18 | 5 | 14 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 59 | 1.567 |
| 27 | Palestine | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 78 | 46 | +32 | 57 | 1.425 |
| 28 | Tajikistan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 55 | 1.447 |
| 29 | Myanmar | 6 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 16 | 5 | 24 | 60 | 120 | –60 | 53 | 1.177 |
| 30 | Kyrgyzstan | 5 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 50 | 1.470 |
| 31 | Chinese Taipei | 10 | 2 | 2 | 56 | 14 | 3 | 39 | 72 | 148 | –76 | 45 | 0.803 |
| 32 | Cambodia | 6 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 12 | 5 | 30 | 44 | 140 | –96 | 41 | 0.872 |
| 33 | Philippines | 9 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 11 | 7 | 29 | 45 | 135 | –90 | 40 | 0.851 |
| 34 | Afghanistan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 6 | 10 | 25 | 34 | 109 | –75 | 28 | 0.682 |
| 35 | Bangladesh | 9 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 33 | 140 | –107 | 28 | 0.528 |
| 36 | Maldives | 6 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 8 | 3 | 34 | 40 | 134 | –94 | 27 | 0.600 |
| 37 | Sri Lanka | 8 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 7 | 1 | 34 | 31 | 136 | –105 | 22 | 0.524 |
| 38 | Macau | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 22 | 55 | –33 | 17 | 0.708 |
| 39 | Mongolia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 46 | –31 | 16 | 0.800 |
| 40 | Bhutan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 22 | 166 | –144 | 17 | 0.531 |
| 41 | Pakistan | 11 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 23 | 105 | –82 | 16 | 0.410 |
| 42 | Nepal | 7 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 14 | 158 | –144 | 14 | 0.358 |
| 43 | Kazakhstan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 1.500 |
| 44 | Laos | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 62 | –49 | 12 | 0.631 |
| 45 | Israel | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 11 | 1.833 |
| 46 | Guam | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 13 | 122 | –109 | 10 | 0.384 |
| 47 | Timor-Leste | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 13 | 65 | –52 | 8 | 0.444 |
| 48 | Brunei | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 68 | –63 | 7 | 0.466 |
| 49 | South Yemen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | –3 | 1 | 0.333 |

## Teams yet to qualify for the finals tournament

Legend
* • – Did not qualify
* × – Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned
For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament are shown (in parentheses).
| Team (14) | 1956 (4) | 1960 (4) | 1964 (4) | 1968 (5) | 1972 (6) | 1976 (6) | 1980 (8) | 1984 (8) | 1988 (8) | 1992 (8) | 1996 (12) | 2000 (12) | 2004 (16) | 2007 (16) | 2011 (16) | 2015 (16) | 2019 (24) | 2023 (24) | 2027 (24) | Attempts |
| Afghanistan | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | × | × | × | × | • | × | • | • | • | • | | 8 |
| Bhutan | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | | 6 |
| Brunei | × | × | × | × | • | • | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | × | • | × | • | • | | 7 |
| Timor-Leste | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | Part of Indonesia | Part of Indonesia | Part of Indonesia | Part of Indonesia | Part of Indonesia | Part of Indonesia | × | • | × | × | × | • | × | | 2 |
| Guam | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | × | • | • | × | • | × | 6 |
| Kazakhstan | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | • | • | UEFA member | UEFA member | UEFA member | UEFA member | UEFA member | UEFA member | UEFA member | 2 |
| Laos | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | × | × | • | • | • | | 5 |
| Macau | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | × | × | • | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | 9 |
| Maldives | Part of UK | Part of UK | Part of UK | × | × | × | × | × | × | × | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | | 7 |
| Mongolia | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | 6 |
| Nepal | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | × | × | × | • | • | × | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | | 9 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | Not AFC member | × | • | × | × | × | 1 |
| Pakistan | × | • | × | • | × | × | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | | 13 |
| Sri Lanka | × | × | × | × | • | × | • | • | × | × | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | | 10 |