# 2018 AFC Futsal Championship qualification

The 2018 AFC Futsal Championship qualification was the qualification process organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to determine the participating teams for the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship, the 15th edition of the international men's futsal championship of Asia.
A total of 16 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Chinese Taipei who qualified automatically as hosts.
The qualification process was divided into four zones, where the ASEAN Zone doubled as the 2017 AFF Futsal Championship, the East Zone and West Zone was played in Thailand, and the South Zone was merged to Central Zone as Nepal was the only team from South Zone.

## Qualification process

Of the 47 AFC member associations, a total of 29 teams entered the competition. The 16 spots in the final tournament are distributed as follows:
* Host : 1 spot
* ASEAN Zone : 4 spots
* South & Central Zone : 4 spots (the two zones were merged since Nepal was the only team from South Zone)
* West Zone : 4 spots
* East Zone : 3 spots
As the final tournament hosts had not been announced at the time of the qualifying draw, the hosts Chinese Taipei were also included in the draw. Despite having automatically qualified for the final tournament, they may still decide to participate in qualification, and if they finish in one of the qualification spots, the next best team in their zone (East) advances to play-off.

## Draw
### Seeding

East Zone ranking :
| East Zone ranking TeamFinalQual  Japan71  China102  Chinese Taipei133  South Korea—4  Mongolia—5  Hong Kong—6  Macau—— | South & Central Zone ranking TeamFinalQual  Iran11  Uzbekistan22  Kyrgyzstan63  Tajikistan144  Afghanistan—5  Turkmenistan—6  Nepal—— |
West Zone ranking :
| West Zone ranking TeamFinalQual  Iraq81  Qatar92  Lebanon113  Saudi Arabia124  Jordan155  United Arab Emirates—6  Bahrain—7  Syria—— | ASEAN Zone ranking TeamFinalZone  Thailand31  Myanmar—2  Malaysia163  East Timor—4  Indonesia—5  Brunei—  Laos—  Vietnam4—  Australia5—  Philippines—— |

### AFF Draw

The original draw for the 2017 AFF Futsal Championship was held on 17 February 2017, 10:00 MMT (UTC+06:30) during the AFF Council Meeting at the Novotel Yangon Max Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar. After Australia withdrew from the competition, a re-draw was held on 23 September 2017 during the AFF Council Meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the 2016 AFF Futsal Championship tournament.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
| Vietnam (H) Thailand | Myanmar Malaysia | Brunei Indonesia Laos Philippines* East Timor* |

#### Notes

* (*) Not vying for qualification but will still play matches.
* Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.

### AFC Draw

The draw was held on 6 July 2017, 15:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, except for the ASEAN Zone which uses the 2017 AFF Futsal Championship as their qualification tournament and whose draw had already been held. The mechanism for each zone is as follows:
* East Zone : seven teams from East Asia, were drawn into one group of four teams and one group of three teams.
* South & Central Zone : seven teams from South Asia and Central Asia, were drawn into one group of four teams and one group of three teams.
* West Zone : eight teams from West Asia, were drawn into two groups of four teams.
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship final tournament and qualification.
| | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| East Zone Host: Thailand | Japan China | Chinese Taipei South Korea | Mongolia Hong Kong Macau | |
| South & Central Zone Host: Iran | Iran Uzbekistan | Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan | Afghanistan Turkmenistan Nepal | |
| West Zone Host: Thailand | Iraq Qatar | Lebanon Saudi Arabia | Jordan | United Arab Emirates Bahrain Syria |

#### Notes

* Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.

## Format

In each group, teams play each other once at a centralised venue; except ASEAN Zone, South & Central Zone.

### Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 11.5):
* Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
* Goal difference in all group matches;
* Goals scored in all group matches;
* Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
* Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
* Drawing of lots.

## ASEAN Zone

* The (AFC) matches were played between 26 October and 30 October 2017.
* All matches were held in Vietnam.
* Times listed are UTC+7.
* In the event the Philippines, Timor Leste or both finish among the top two teams in their group the next best team/s qualify for the final tournament instead since both countries did not submit their entries for the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Vietnam (H) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 3 | +46 | 12 | Semi-finals and 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Myanmar | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 5 | +36 | 9 | Semi-finals and 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 3 | Indonesia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 7 | +28 | 6 | |
| 4 | Brunei | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 40 | −35 | 3 | |
| 5 | Philippines | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 75 | −75 | 0 | |
* ↑ Philippines are not eligible for AFC Futsal Championship qualification.

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Thailand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 5 | +32 | 9 | Semi-finals and 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Malaysia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 6 | Semi-finals and 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 3 | Laos | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 24 | −15 | 3 | |
| 4 | East Timor | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 30 | −22 | 0 | |
* ↑ Timor-Leste are not eligible for AFC Futsal Championship qualification.

### Final
## East Zone

* The matches were played between 4 and 8 November 2017.
* All matches are held in Thailand.
* Times listed are UTC+7.

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | +22 | 9 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 6 | Play-off |
| 3 | Mongolia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 3 | |
| 4 | Macau | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 23 | −21 | 0 | |
* ↑ Chinese Taipei, as final tournament hosts, automatically qualified regardless of qualification results.

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | South Korea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | China | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 3 | Play-off |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | |

### Play-off

Winner qualified for 2018 AFC Futsal Championship.

## South & Central Zone

* The matches were played between 15 and 17 October 2017.
* All matches are held in Iran.
* Times listed are (IRST +3:30).

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 9 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 6 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Nepal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 28 | −24 | 0 | |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Iran (H) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 6 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Tajikistan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 3 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 0 | |

## West Zone

* The matches were played between 10 and 12 November 2017.
* All matches are held in Thailand.
* Times listed are UTC+7.

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Bahrain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Iraq | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 4 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 1 | |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Lebanon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 2 | Jordan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2018 AFC Futsal Championship |
| 3 | Qatar | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | |
| 4 | Syria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |

## Qualified teams

The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in AFC Futsal Championship |
| Chinese Taipei | Hosts | 29 July 2017 | 11 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Vietnam | ASEAN Zone Group A winners | 29 October 2017 | 4 (2005, 2010, 2014, 2016) |
| Myanmar | ASEAN Zone Group A runners-up | 29 October 2017 | 0 (debut) |
| Thailand | ASEAN Zone Group B winners | 27 October 2017 | 14 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Malaysia | ASEAN Zone Group B runners-up | 27 October 2017 | 11 (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016) |
| Japan | East Zone Group A winners | 6 November 2017 | 14 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| South Korea | East Zone Group B winners | 6 November 2017 | 12 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| China | East Zone Play-off winners | 8 November 2017 | 11 (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Uzbekistan | South & Central Zone Group A winners | 16 October 2017 | 14 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Kyrgyzstan | South & Central Zone Group A runners-up | 16 October 2017 | 14 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Iran | South & Central Zone Group B winners | 16 October 2017 | 14 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Tajikistan | South & Central Zone Group B runners-up | 16 October 2017 | 9 (2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Bahrain | West Zone Group A winners | 12 November 2017 | 1 (2002) |
| Iraq | West Zone Group A runners-up | 12 November 2017 | 10 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016) |
| Lebanon | West Zone Group B winners | 12 November 2017 | 10 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| Jordan | West Zone Group B runners-up | 12 November 2017 | 1 (2016) |
    $^1$ Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

## Goalscorers

There were 391 goals scored in 44 matches, for an average of 8.89 goals per match.
11 goals
* Pyae Phyo Maung I
10 goals
* Muhammad Osamanmusa
* Phùng Trọng Luân
8 goals
* Trần Thái Huy
6 goals
* Ardiansyah
* Syauqi Saud
* Kazuya Shimizu
* Khairul Effendy
* Ngô Ngọc Sơn
5 goals
* Lin Chih-hung
* Bayu Saptaji
* Mahdi Javid
* Jetsada Chudech
* Peerapol Satsue
* Bruno Gomes
* Vũ Quốc Hưng
4 goals
* Chi Sheng-fa
* Abdul Rohman Nawawi
* Subhan Faidasa
* Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh
* Shota Hoshi
* Soulichanh Phasawaeng
* Lê Quốc Nam
3 goals
* Jassam Saleh
* Johanis Mustamu
* Mehran Alighadr
* Matías Hernán Mayedonchi
* Kazuhiro Nibuya
* Emil Kanetov
* Aung Aung
* Hlaing Min Tun
* Khin Zaw Lin
* Naing Ye Kyaw
* Nyein Min Soe
* Chaivit Jamgrajang
* Weerasak Srichai
* Mülkaman Annagulyýew
* Maksat Soltanow
* Davron Choriev
* Dilshod Rakhmatov
* Dilmurod Shavkatov
* Artur Yunusov
* Danh Phát
* Nguyễn Minh Trí
* Phạm Đức Hòa
2 goals
* Falah Abbas
* Faiz Hasnan
* Li Jianjia
* Zhuang Jianfa
* Lai Ming-hui
* Saeid Ahmad Abbasi
* Shahab Talebi
* Farhad Tavakoli
* Mustafa Bachay
* Hasan Dakheel
* Akira Minamoto
* Yuki Murota
* Samer Al-Deen
* Ahmad Samara
* Maksat Alimov
* Aktai Tashtanov
* Ulanbek Baigazy Uulu
* Mirlan Zholdubaev
* Nidnilanh Chanchaleune
* Hassan Zeitoun
* Akmarul Nizam
* Awalluddin Nawi
* Azri Rahman
* Azwann Ismail
* Haniffa Hasan
* Bat-Orgil Erdenebat
* Munguntulga Battsagaan
* Temuujin Altansukh
* Aung Zin Oo
* Hein Min Soe
* Ko Ko Lwin
* Myo Myint Soe
* Pyae Phyo Maung II
* Sai Pyone Aung
* Suraj Raut
* Abdulaziz Al-Alouni
* Aroan Mubarak
* Kim Min-kuk
* Shin Jong-hoon
* Nattawut Madyalan
* Sorasak Phoonjungreed
* Nawin Rattanawongswa
* Warut Wangsama-aeo
* Watan Ataýew
* Farkhod Abdumavlyanov
* Davronjon Abdurakhmonov
* Đinh Văn Toàn
1 goal
* Jawad Haidari
* Ali Jafari
* Akbar Kazemi
* Hussain Khademi
* Mohsen Rezayi
* Sayed Mohamed
* Salman Maula
* Raimi Karim
* Maziri Maidin
* Naqib Timbang
* Li Zhiheng
* Peng Boyao
* Xu Yang
* Zeng Liang
* Zhao Liang
* Huang Po-chun
* Huang Tai-hsiang
* Hung Wei-teng
* Li Ka Chun
* Liu Yik Shing
* Guntur Ariwibowo
* Alexander Larawo
* Randy Mushar
* Aditya Rasyid
* Iqbal Rahmatullah
* Sunny Suhendra
* Abolghasem Orouji
* Touhid Lotfi
* Zainal Abdeen
* Hussein Al-Zubaidi
* Hassan Ali Jabbar
* Waleed Khalid
* Ghaith Riyadh
* Kaoru Morioka
* Koichi Saito
* Tomoaki Watanabe
* Tomoki Yoshikawa
* Kelkel Anarbekov
* Adilet Imanbekov
* Khampha Phiphakkhavong
* Phonephet Sihabouth
* Chanthaphone Waenvongsoth
* Ali El-Homsi
* Serge Kouyoumjian
* Cheong Loi
* Kwok Siu Tin
* Altantulga Pagamsuren
* Pagamsürengiin Altantulga
* Purevdorj Erdenebat
* Kyaw Kyaw Tun
* Kyaw Soe Moe
* Nirmal Gurung
* Nabin Lama
* Said Al-Bulushi
* Issa Al-Masoudi
* Moath Al-Asiri
* Jwher Jmah
* Mansour Al-Zahrani
* Chun Jin-woo
* Kim Gyeong-geun
* Lee Sun-ho
* Shin Ha-il
* Nekruz Alimakhmadov
* Firuz Bekmurodov
* Shavqat Halimov
* Dilshod Salomov
* Fayzali Sardorov
* Ronnachai Jungwongsuk
* Panat Kittipanuwong
* Remigio Duarte
* Mu Kui Sen
* Ilidio Nunes
* Allamyrat Kurbanow
* Allaberdi Meredow
* Öwezbaý Muhammetmyradow
* Gurbangeldi Sähedow
* Tariq Abdulla
* Ahmed Khalil
* Mashrab Adilov
* Ilhomjon Hamroev
* Khusniddin Nishonov
* Anaskhon Rakhmatov
* Konstantin Sviridov
* Cổ Trí Kiệt
* Khổng Đình Hùng
* Nguyễn Văn Huy
* Trần Văn Vũ
* Vũ Xuân Du
1 own goal
* Akbar Kazemi (against Tajikistan)
* Ahmad Al-Ashran (against Lebanon)
* Ahmad Samara (against Lebanon)
* Maksat Alimov (against Turkmenistan)
* Chan Tsz Yeung (against Chinese Taipei)
* Lorenzo Hermosa (against Myanmar)
* Julian Pio Miranda (against Indonesia)
* Andre Vong (against Thailand)
* Rashid Obaid (against Bahrain)
2 own goals
* Saurabh Magar (against Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan)