Soccer
Everything you need to know about Asian qualifying
Discover dates, qualifying format and the number of tickets to the next FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Play-Off Tournament in Asia.
Dates and participating nations and opening fixtures
Berths at the FIFA World Cup 26 and the FIFA Play-Off Tournament
Find out which Asian teams have appeared at the World Cup most often
Dates
AFC qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™ begins on 12 October 2023 and ends in November 2025.
Tickets to FIFA World Cup 26
For the first time Asia will have eight direct berths at the FIFA World Cup, with an additional nation participating in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament for a possible total of nine AFC participants.
How qualifying works
The first round of the FIFA World Cup 26 AFC qualification competition will take place in October 2023. Twenty teams will contest 10 two-legged home-and-away ties, with the winners joining 26 other nations in the second round, which consists on nine four-team sections.
From 13 November 2023 until 11 June 2024, each team will play home and away, with the top two from each group qualifying for the third round.
Those 18 remaining nations will then be split into three groups of six, with each team again playing one another home and away from September 2024 to June 2025. The top two from those sections will be assured of a spot at World Cup 26.
The fourth round, which heralds the beginning of the Asian play-offs, consists of the six sides which finished third and fourth respectively across the third-round groups. They will be split into two groups of three from October 2025, with the winners of these groups qualifying for the finals.
Finally, the fifth round, set to take place in November 2025, will pit together the two sides which finished as runners-up in the fourth-round group in a two-legged contest. The winner will advance to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
Round 1 fixtures
Afghanistan v Mongolia
Maldives v Bangladesh
Singapore v Guam
Yemen v Sri Lanka
Myanmar v Macau
Cambodia v Pakistan
Chinese Taipei v Timor-Leste
Indonesia v Brunei Darussalam
Hong Kong, China v Bhutan
Nepal v Laos
Round 2 groups
Group A
Qatar
India
Kuwait
Afghanistan or Mongolia
Group B
Japan
Syria
DPR Korea
Myanmar or Macau
Group C
Korea Republic
China PR
Thailand
Singapore or Guam
Group D
Oman
Kyrgyz Republic
Malaysia
Chinese Taipei or Timor-Leste
Group E
IR Iran
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Hong Kong, China or Bhutan
Group F
Iraq
Vietnam
Philippines
Indonesia or Brunei Darussalam
Group G
Saudi Arabia
Jordan
Tajikistan
Cambodia or Pakistan
Group H
United Arab Emirates
Bahrain
Yemen or Sri Lanka
Nepal or Laos
Group I
Australia
Palestine
Lebanon
Maldives or Bangladesh
The schedule
Round 1: 9-17 October, 2023
Round 2: 13 November, 2023-11 June, 2024
Round 3: 2 September, 2024-10 June, 2025
Asian play-offs (Rounds 4 & 5): 6 October, 2025-18 November, 2025
FIFA Play-Off Tournament
The FIFA Play-Off Tournament will see six sides fight it out for the final two places at the 23rd FIFA World Cup. It will involve two teams from Concacaf and one team apiece from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC.
The four lowest-ranked nations will meet in bracket semi-finals. The two highest-ranked teams will go directly into the finals. The winners of the two bracket finals will reach the FIFA World Cup 26.