Qualifying for Asia for the 2026 World Cup is a long journey and will likely require at least multiple group stages.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will direct eight teams to the 2026 World Cup, with a ninth team competing in an inter-confederation playoff to qualify for the tournament.
[ MORE: How will 48-team 2026 World Cup work? ]
Only Africa and Europe will have more teams in the 2026 World Cup.
Currently playing in the Premier League, Son Heung-min (South Korea, Spurs), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton, Japan), and Saman Ghods (Iran, Brentford) are players whose expectations for the World Cup will rise and fall over the next three years. I’m alone. However, all will be playing against countries hoping to qualify for the tournament.
Below you’ll find the format, scores and ultimately the standings as dozens of countries compete to make their World Cup dreams a reality.
Asia (AFC) 2026 World Cup Qualifying Format
- 1st round (October 11-17, 2023): 20 teams, home and away
- 2nd round (November 2023 – June 2024): 36 teams in 9 groups, top 2 teams in each group advance
- 3rd round (starting in September 2024): 18 teams in 3 groups, The top two from each group qualify for the World Cup.3rd and 4th place teams will advance to the 4th round
- 4th round (starting in October 2025): 6 teams in 2 groups, Group winners qualify for the World Cup2nd place team will advance to the 5th round
- Round 5 (November 2025): 2 teams, winners advance to inter-confederation play-offs
Asia (AFC) World Cup Qualification Schedule — 1st round fixtures, results
October 11th
Afghanistan 1-0 Mongolia
Maldives 1-1 Bangladesh
Singapore 2 – 1 Guam
Yemen 3-0 Sri Lanka
Myanmar 5-1 Macau
Cambodia 0-0 Pakistan
Chinese Taipei 4-0 Timor-Leste
Indonesia 6-0 Brunei
Hong Kong 4-0 Bhutan
Nepal 1-1 Laos
October 17th
Mongolia vs Afghanistan
Bangladesh vs Maldives
Guam vs Singapore
Sri Lanka vs Yemen
Macau vs Myanmar
pakistan vs cambodia
East Timor vs Chinese Taipei
Brunei vs Indonesia
Bhutan vs Hong Kong
Laos vs Nepal
Asia (AFC) 2026 World Cup Qualification Schedule — Second Round Group
Group A
- qatar
- India
- Kuwait
- Afghanistan or Mongolia
Group B
- Japan
- Syria
- north korea
- Myanmar or Macau
Group C
- South Korea
- China
- sea bream
- Singapore or Guam
Group D
- oman
- Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysia
- East Timor or Chinese Taipei
Group E
- Iran
- uzbekistan
- turkmenistan
- Hong Kong or Bhutan
Group F
- Iraq
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- Brunei or Indonesia?
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
