2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
The Asian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for national teams who are members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). A total of 8 direct slots in the final tournament are available for AFC teams, as well as 1 inter-confederation play-off slot.
The qualification process involves five rounds; the first two also serve as the qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Format
The qualification format was announced on 1 August 2022, having been revamped to fit the increased finals allocation of eight direct qualifiers and one play-off qualifier:
First round: 20 teams (ranked 27–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The ten winners advanced to the second round. Losing teams are eligible for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round (nine), and the AFC Solidarity Cup.
Second round: 36 teams (ranked 1–26 and ten first-round winners) are divided into nine groups of four teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The nine group winners and group runners-up advance to the third round and automatically qualify for the AFC Asian Cup.
Third round: 18 teams which advance from the second round are divided into three groups of six teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams of each group qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup, the third and fourth-placed teams advance to the fourth round.
Fourth round: Six third and fourth-placed teams from the third round are divided into two groups of three teams each. The teams will play against each other once in a neutral venue. The winners of each group qualify for the World Cup, and the runners-up of each group advance to the fifth round.
Fifth round: The group runners-up in the fourth round will compete home-and-away over two legs to determine the Asian representation at the inter-confederation play-offs.
Entrants
All FIFA-affiliated nations entered the joint qualification process for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup; Northern Mariana Islands, who is not a FIFA member, will enter through the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play-off round.
The draw for the first and second rounds of joint qualification took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27 July 2023. The top 26 ranked teams were given byes to the second round, while the 20 teams entering the first round were seeded into two pots of 10 teams each and drawn alternately from pot 1 then pot 2 to form a pairing. The team from pot 1 hosted the first leg and the team from pot 2 hosted the second leg. Pots 1, 2 and 3 for the second round draw contained the teams ranked 1–9, 10–18, and 19–26, respectively, while pot 4 contained placeholders for the ten first round ties. Teams were drawn from pot 4 first and placed in position 4 of each group. After 9 teams were drawn, the remaining placeholder from pot 4 was placed in pot 3. Teams were then drawn into each group from pots 3, 2, and 1 to complete the field.
Schedule
The competition schedule is expected to be as follows:
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.
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.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
Group I
Third round
Group A
Group B
Group C
Fourth round
Group A
Group B
Fifth round
The two second-placed teams in each group from the fourth round will play against each other over two legs in November 2025 to determine which team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Inter-confederation play-offs
The fifth-round winner will join one team each from CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Goalscorers
See also
2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Notes
References
External links
FIFA.com
FIFA World Cup – the-AFC.com
Afc
FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
2023 in Asian football
2024 in Asian football
2025 in Asian football