8 direct seats for the 2026 World Cup finals and a continental supplement.. The Asian adopts the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers system
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Office has approved the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers System and 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Asia has eight direct seats in the 2026 World Cup finals, in addition to a seat in the continental playoffs, after expanding the 2026 World Cup to include 48 teams.
The new qualifying system was adopted after consultations and discussion with the AFC member associations, and a summary of these consultations was submitted to the AFC Competitions Committee, as well as informing other important parties to the game.
It was decided to adopt four stages in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, as follows:
The first round of joint qualifiers: It includes 22 teams, ranked between 26 to 47 in the world rankings, where they meet through two home and away matches, and the 11 winning teams qualify for the second round of joint qualifiers.
The second round of joint qualifiers: includes 36 teams, ranked from 1 to 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 from two rounds, and the first qualifies two teams from each group (total 18) will advance to the final round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers, and will also get cards to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.
– Asian Qualifiers: The 18 teams are divided into three groups, so that each group includes 6 teams, competing in a split league system from two home and away stages, and the first two teams from each group (total 6 teams) qualify directly to the 2026 World Cup finals.
– Asian Supplement: The Asian Supplement includes the teams that ranked third and fourth in the three groups from the previous round (total 6 teams), and they are divided into two groups, so that each group includes three teams competing in a split league system from one stage. The two teams that ranked first in each group qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the two second-placed teams compete in a play-off match to determine the team that represents Asia in the World Continental Playoff.
On the other hand, the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers continue, after the end of the first and second rounds of the joint qualifiers, as follows:
– Asian Cup Qualifiers Supplement: 10 of the losers meet in the first round of the joint qualifiers through two home and away matches, and the five winning teams qualify for the final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
The final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers: includes 24 teams (the team with the highest ranking among the losers in the first round of the joint qualifiers, the 18 teams that ranked third and fourth in the second round of the joint qualifiers, and the five winning teams in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers supplement) are divided into six groups, so that each group includes four teams, and the first place in each group qualifies for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.
The qualifying system is based on the participation of all 47 member associations, and may be subject to changes depending on the final number of participating teams.
The Executive Office of the Asian Football Confederation also approved the proposal for a calendar of national team competitions, futsal and beach soccer for the years 2023 and 2024, as shown below, with the administration in the federation giving the authority to amend match days when necessary.
National team competitions
– U-20 Asian Cup 2023 in Uzbekistan: the new date is from 1 to 18 March 2023 (the previous date was 8-26 February 2023)
– AFC U-17 Championship 2023: The new date is from 3- May 20, 2023 (the previous date was March 29 to April 16, 2023)
– AFC U-23 Cup Qualifiers
2024: 4-12 September 2023
– AFC U-23 Cup 2024: 10-28 January 2024 (tournament date may change depending on the date of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup)
– AFC U-23 Cup Qualifiers 2026: 6-14 September 2025
– AFC U-23 Cup 2026: January 7-25, 2026
– AFC U-20 Championship Qualifiers 2025: September 21-29, 2024
– AFC U-20 Championship 2025: 6-23 February 2025
– AFC U-20 Championship Qualifiers 2027: 19-27 September 2026
– AFC U-17 Championship Qualifiers 2025: October 19-27, 2024
– AFC U-17 Championship 2025: 3-20 April 2025
– AFC U-17 Championship Qualifiers 2027: 17-25 October 2026
– Asian Beach Soccer Cup 2023: 16-26 March 2023
– Asian Beach Soccer Cup 2025: 20-20 March 2025
– AFC Futsal Cup 2024 Qualifiers: 2-13 October 2023
– AFC Futsal Cup 2024: January 31 to February 11, 2024
– AFC Futsal Cup 2026 Qualifiers: 15-26 October 2025
– AFC Futsal Cup 2026 Finals: 11-22 February 2026
– Asian Club Futsal Championship 2023: 16-27 August 2023
– Asian Club Futsal Championship 2024: 10-21 July 2024
– Asian Club Futsal Championship 2025: 9-20 July 2025
– Asian Club Futsal Championship 2026: 5-16 August 2026