2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

2027 AFC Asian Cup qualificationTournament details

Dates| 12 October 2023 – 31 March 2026
Teams| 46[note 1] (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 133
Goals scored| 397 (2.98 per match)
Attendance| 2,254,832 (16,954 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Almoez Ali
Son Heung-min
(7 goals each)

<- 2023

2031 ->

All statistics correct as of 10 September 2024.

International football competition

AFC Asian Qualifiers

FIFA World Cup

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AFC Asian Cup

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* v
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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.

The qualification process involves a total of four rounds, where the first two rounds double as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification for Asian teams, with the final two solely for 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification.

## Format

[edit]

The qualification structure is as follows:[1]

* 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.[2][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

[edit]

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.[1] However, it was not included in the draw for the play-off round.[2]

The draw for the first and second rounds of joint qualification took place on 27 July 2023.[3] 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.[4][3]

From the July 2023 FIFA World Rankings[5] 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)

10. Uzbekistan (74)
11. China (80)
12. Jordan (82)
13. Bahrain (86)
14. Syria (94)
15. Vietnam (95)
16. Palestine (96)
17. Kyrgyzstan (97)
18. India (99)

19. Lebanon (100)
20. Tajikistan (110)
21. Thailand (113)
22. North Korea (115)
23. Philippines (135)
24. Malaysia (136)
25. Kuwait (137)
26. Turkmenistan (138)

27. Hong Kong (149)
28. Indonesia (150)
29. Chinese Taipei (153)
30. Maldives (155)
31. Yemen (156)
32. Afghanistan (157)
33. Singapore (158)
34. Myanmar (160)
35. Nepal (175)
36. Cambodia (176)

37. Macau (182)
38. Mongolia (183)
39. Bhutan (185)
40. Laos (187)
41. Bangladesh (189)
42. Brunei (190)
43. East Timor (192)
44. Pakistan (201)
45. Guam (203)
46. Sri Lanka (204)

## Schedule

[edit]

The schedule of the competition is expected to be as follows, according to the AFC Competitions Calendar.[6][7][8] 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  | 5–6 September 2024
Second leg  | 10 September 2024
Third round | Matchday 1  | 25 March 2025
Matchday 2  | 10 June 2025
Matchday 3  | 9 October 2025
Matchday 4  | 14 October 2025
Matchday 5  | 18 November 2025
Matchday 6  | 31 March 2026

## First round

[edit]

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.[3]

### Summary

[edit]

Team 1| Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score| Team 2| 1st leg| 2nd leg

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Afghanistan | 2–0|  Mongolia| 1–0| 1–0
Maldives | 2–3|  Bangladesh| 1–1| 1–2
Singapore | 3–1|  Guam| 2–1| 1–0
Yemen | 4–1|  Sri Lanka| 3–0| 1–1
Myanmar | 5–1|  Macau| 5–1| 0–0
Cambodia | 0–1|  Pakistan| 0–0| 0–1
Chinese Taipei | 7–0|  East Timor| 4–0| 3–0
Indonesia | 12–0|  Brunei| 6–0| 6–0
Hong Kong | 4–2|  Bhutan| 4–0| 0–2
Nepal | 2–1|  Laos| 1–1| 1–0

### Ranking of best losing teams

[edit]

Pos | Team  | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

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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

[edit]

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.[3]

### Group A

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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[a] | -- | 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

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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[a] |  | 0–3 | -- | 1–1 | 4–1
3  |  Thailand | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 9  | 9  | 0  | 8[a] | 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. ^ a b Head-to-head points: China 4, Thailand 1.

### Group D

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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[a] | 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 only competed to qualify for the World Cup.

### Group H

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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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

[edit]

Main article: 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round

Team 1| Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score| Team 2| 1st leg| 2nd leg

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Sri Lanka | 2–2 (4–2 p)|  Cambodia| 0–0| 2–2 (a.e.t.)
East Timor | 4–3|  Mongolia| 4–1| 0–2
Brunei | 4–0|  Macau| 3–0| 1–0

## Third round

[edit]

### Groups

[edit]

Main article: 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers will be applied in the following order (Regulations Article 7.3):[9]

1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying criteria 1 to 3, a subset of teams are still tied, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
5. Goal difference in all group matches;
6. Goals scored in all group matches;
7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they meet in the last round of the group;
8. 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);
9. Drawing of lots.

### Group A

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Tajikistan | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2027 AFC Asian Cup |  | -- | 31 Mar '26 | 9 Oct | 25 Mar
2  |  Philippines | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  |  | 10 Jun | -- | 18 Nov | 14 Oct
3  |  Maldives | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 14 Oct | 25 Mar | -- | 31 Mar '26
4  |  East Timor | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 18 Nov | 9 Oct | 10 Jun | --

First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

### Group B

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Lebanon | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2027 AFC Asian Cup |  | -- | 31 Mar '26 | 9 Oct | 25 Mar
2  |  Yemen | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  |  | 10 Jun | -- | 18 Nov | 14 Oct
3  |  Bhutan | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 14 Oct | 25 Mar | -- | 31 Mar '26
4  |  Brunei | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 18 Nov | 9 Oct | 10 Jun | --

First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

### Group C

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  India | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2027 AFC Asian Cup |  | -- | 31 Mar '26 | 9 Oct | 25 Mar
2  |  Hong Kong | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  |  | 10 Jun | -- | 18 Nov | 14 Oct
3  |  Singapore | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 14 Oct | 25 Mar | -- | 31 Mar '26
4  |  Bangladesh | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 18 Nov | 9 Oct | 10 Jun | --

First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

### Group D

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Thailand | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2027 AFC Asian Cup |  | -- | 31 Mar '26 | 9 Oct | 25 Mar
2  |  Turkmenistan | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  |  | 10 Jun | -- | 18 Nov | 14 Oct
3  |  Chinese Taipei | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 14 Oct | 25 Mar | -- | 31 Mar '26
4  |  Sri Lanka | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 18 Nov | 9 Oct | 10 Jun | --

First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

### Group E

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Syria | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2027 AFC Asian Cup |  | -- | 31 Mar '26 | 9 Oct | 25 Mar
2  |  Afghanistan | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  |  | 10 Jun | -- | 18 Nov | 14 Oct
3  |  Myanmar | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 14 Oct | 25 Mar | -- | 31 Mar '26
4  |  Pakistan | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 18 Nov | 9 Oct | 10 Jun | --

First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

### Group F

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification  |  |  |  |  |

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1  |  Vietnam | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2027 AFC Asian Cup |  | -- | 31 Mar '26 | 9 Oct | 25 Mar
2  |  Malaysia | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  |  | 10 Jun | -- | 18 Nov | 14 Oct
3  |  Nepal | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 14 Oct | 25 Mar | -- | 31 Mar '26
4  |  Laos | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 18 Nov | 10 Jun | 9 Oct | --

First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

## Qualified teams

[edit]

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

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|
|

Saudi Arabia | Hosts | 1 February 2023 | 12th | 2023 | Winners (1984, 1988, 1996)
Australia | Second round Group I winners | 26 March 2024 | 6th | 2023 | Winners (2015)
Iraq | Second round Group F winners | 26 March 2024 | 11th | 2023 | Winners (2007)
Iran | Second round Group E winners | 26 March 2024 | 16th | 2023 | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976)
Uzbekistan | Second round Group E runners-up | 26 March 2024 | 9th | 2023 | Fourth place (2011)
Qatar | Second round Group A winners | 26 March 2024 | 12th | 2023 | Winners (2019, 2023)
United Arab Emirates | Second round Group H winners | 26 March 2024 | 12th | 2023 | Runners-up (1996)
Japan | Second round Group B winners | 2 April 2024 | 11th | 2023 | Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
South Korea | Second round Group C winners | 6 June 2024 | 16th | 2023 | Winners (1956, 1960)
Oman | Second round Group D winners | 6 June 2024 | 6th | 2023 | Round of 16 (2019)
Palestine | Second round Group I runners-up | 6 June 2024 | 4th | 2023 | Round of 16 (2023)
Bahrain | Second round Group H runners-up | 6 June 2024 | 8th | 2023 | Fourth place (2004)
Jordan | Second round Group G winners | 6 June 2024 | 6th | 2023 | Runners-up (2023)
China | Second round Group C runners-up | 11 June 2024 | 14th | 2023 | Runners-up (1984, 2004)
Indonesia | Second round Group F runners-up | 11 June 2024 | 6th | 2023 | Round of 16 (2023)
North Korea | Second round Group B runners-up | 11 June 2024 | 6th | 2019 | Fourth place (1980)
Kuwait | Second round Group A runners-up | 11 June 2024 | 11th | 2015 | Winners (1980)
Kyrgyzstan | Second round Group D runners-up | 11 June 2024 | 3rd | 2023 | Round of 16 (2019)
TBD | Third round group A winners |  |  |  |
TBD | Third round group B winners |  |  |  |
TBD | Third round group C winners |  |  |  |
TBD | Third round group D winners |  |  |  |
TBD | Third round group E winners |  |  |  |
TBD | Third round group F winners |  |  |  |

## Top goalscorers

[edit]

There have been 397 goals scored in 133 matches, for an average of 2.98 goals per match (as of 10 September 2024). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

7 goals

* Almoez Ali
* Son Heung-min

6 goals

* Ayase Ueda

5 goals

* Wu Lei
* Mehdi Taremi
* Musa Al-Taamari

4 goals

* Kusini Yengi
* Ramadhan Sananta
* Sardar Azmoun
* Aymen Hussein
* Ali Olwan
* Jong Il-gwan
* Saleh Al-Shehri
* Lee Kang-in
* Suphanat Mueanta

3 goals

* Jamie Maclaren
* Yu Yao-hsing
* Dimas Drajad
* Rizky Ridho
* Ritsu Dōan
* Yazan Al-Naimat
* Joel Kojo
* Hassan Maatouk
* Ri Jo-guk
* Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri
* Oday Dabbagh
* Firas Al-Buraikan
* Omar Khribin
* João Pedro
* Sultan Adil
* Fábio Lima
* Ali Mabkhout
* Eldor Shomurodov
* Oston Urunov

The lists below show all goal scorers for each round:

* First round
* Second round
* Play-off round
* Third round

## See also

[edit]

* 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Saudi Arabia participated to reach the World Cup.
2. ^ a b Originally this 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

[edit]

1. ^ a b "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
2. ^ a b "Six teams to contest Qualifiers Playoff for Saudi Arabia 2027". AFC. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
3. ^ a b c d "Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw". AFC. 5 July 2023.
4. ^ Nasir, Saad (23 June 2023). "Pakistan's Draws for FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers Revealed". ProSports. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
5. ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2023". FIFA. 20 July 2023.
6. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2023 - Jul 2024)" (PDF). AFC.
7. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2024 - Jul 2025)" (PDF). AFC.
8. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2025 - Jul 2026)" (PDF). AFC.
9. ^ "AFC Asian Cup 2027 Saudi Arabia Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 9 August 2024. p. 25.

* v
* t
* e

2027 AFC Asian Cup

Stages|

* Group stage
* Group A
* Group B
* Group C
* Group D
* Group E
* Group F
* Knockout stage
* Final

General information|

* Bids
* Qualification
* First round
* Second round
* Play-off round
* Third round
* Broadcasting
* Squads
* Statistics

* v
* t
* e

AFC Asian Cup

Tournaments|

* Hong Kong 1956
* South Korea 1960
* Israel 1964
* Iran 1968
* Thailand 1972
* Iran 1976
* Kuwait 1980
* Singapore 1984
* Qatar 1988
* Japan 1992
* United Arab Emirates 1996
* Lebanon 2000
* China 2004
* Indonesia / Malaysia / Thailand / Vietnam 2007
* Qatar 2011
* Australia 2015
* United Arab Emirates 2019
* Qatar 2023
* Saudi Arabia 2027
* TBD 2031

Qualification|

* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2007
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023
* 2027

Finals|

* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2007
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023

Squads|

* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2007
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023

Bids|

* 2019
* 2023
* 2027

Records and lists|

* Awards
* Records and statistics
* Hat-tricks
* Qualification
* Finals

Miscellaneous|

* Music
* Mascots
* Match balls

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Agg.]: Aggregate score
*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points