2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification: Asian Section

What You Need to Know

The Asian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will serve as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for national teams of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Eight Asian teams will directly qualify for the global finals, with an additional berth available via the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament.

Qualification Format

The qualification format for the Asian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was approved by the AFC Executive Committee on 1 August 2022. The format consists of three rounds: * First Round: 22 teams ranked 26th to 47th in the AFC rankings will compete in two-legged playoffs. The 11 winners will advance to the second round. * Second Round: 36 teams (the 11 winners from the first round and the 25 teams ranked 1st to 25th in the AFC rankings) will be divided into nine groups of four teams. The winners of each group will advance to the third round. * Third Round: 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six teams. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The third-placed teams will advance to the fourth round. * Fourth Round: The two third-placed teams from the third round will compete in a single-match playoff. The winner of the playoff will advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament.

Fixture List

The fixture list for the Asian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification has not yet been released. However, the AFC has announced that the first round will be played from 12 to 18 October 2023, the second round will be played from 16 to 22 November 2023, and the third round will be played from 8 to 22 November 2025.