Informação
There are 8 direct qualifying seats and one intercontinental play-off seat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), that is, Asia has a total of 8.5 places in the World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers are divided into five stages:
In the first stage (October 2023), 20 teams will participate. The participating teams are the teams ranked 27-46 in Asia. After the draw, home and away games will be played, and 10 winning teams will advance to the first stage of the group stage.
In the second stage (November 2023-June 2024), 36 teams will participate. In addition to the 10 teams that advanced in the first round, the participating teams also include teams ranked 1-26 in Asia. After the draw, they will be divided into 9 groups, 4 teams in each group, and play home and away double round-robin games. The top two teams in each group (a total of 18 teams) will enter the third stage, and these 18 teams will also qualify for the 2027 Saudi Arabia Asian Cup finals.
The 18 teams that advance in the third stage (September 2024-June 2025) will be drawn into three groups of 6 teams each, with a home and away round-robin system. The top two teams in each group, a total of 6 teams, will directly advance to the World Cup.
The fourth stage (October 2025) will be participated by the third and fourth teams in each group in the third stage, a total of 6 teams. These 6 teams will be divided into two groups of 3 teams in each group, with a single round-robin system. The first place in each group of the two groups, a total of two teams, will directly advance to the World Cup.
The fifth stage (November 2025): The second place teams in the two groups in the fourth stage will play a two-round home and away playoff, and the winner will qualify for the World Cup intercontinental playoffs.
