The Executive Office of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has approved the Asian qualification system for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Asia has eight direct places in the 2026 World Cup Final, in addition to a place in the Continental Playoffs, following the expansion of the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams.
The new qualification system was adopted after consultations and discussions with AFC member associations, and a summary of these consultations was presented to the AFC Competition Committee, as well as informed other important aspects of the game.
– First round of joint qualifiers: 22 teams ranked 26th to 47th in the world rankings compete in two home and away matches, with the 11 winning teams advancing to the second round of joint qualifiers.
Second round of joint qualification: includes 36 teams ranked 1-25 in addition to the 11 winning teams in the first round, and they are divided into 9 groups so that each group includes 4 teams competing in a split league system. of two rounds, and the first qualification. Two teams from each group (18 in total) will advance to the final round of the Asian FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and you will also receive tickets to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.
– Asian Qualifiers: 18 teams divided into three groups so that each group has 6 teams competing in a split league system in two home and away stages, with the first two teams from each group (6 teams in total) qualifying directly to the World Cup final -2026.
– Asian Supplement: The Asian Supplement includes the teams that finished third and fourth in the three groups from the previous round (total of 6 teams) and are divided into two groups so that each group has three teams competing in a split league system. from one stage. The top two teams in each group directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the two runners-up compete in a play-off match to determine the team that represents Asia in the continental play-off.
On the other hand, 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers continue after the end of the first and second rounds of joint qualifiers according to the following: – Addition to Asian Cup qualifiers: 10 losers meet in the first round of joint qualifiers through two home and away The winning teams advance to the final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Asian Cup Qualifying Final Round: includes 24 teams (highest ranked losing team in the first round of joint qualification, 18 teams ranked third and fourth in the second round of joint qualification, and five winning teams in the additional qualifying tournament of the Asian Cup of Football) .
