Examine individual changes

'{{Short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox international football competition | tourney_name = 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) | image = AFC Asian Qualifiers.png | dates = {{nowrap|12 October 2023 – November 2025}} | num_teams = 46 | confederations = 1 | matches = {{#expr: <!--First round--> 20 +<!--Second round--> 71 <!--Third round--> <!--Fourth round-->}} | goals = {{#expr: <!--First round--> 51 +<!--Second round--> 230 <!--Third round--> <!--Fourth round-->}} | attendance = {{#expr: <!--First round--> 138247 +<!--Second round--> 1372016 <!--Third round--> <!--Fourth round-->}} | top_scorer = {{fbicon|QAT}} [[Almoez Ali]]<br>(7 goals) | prevseason = [[2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|2022]] | nextseason = ''[[2030 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|2030]]'' | updated = 26 March 2024 }} {{Qualification for championships (AFC)}} The Asian section of the [[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification]] will act as qualifiers for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]] for national teams of the [[Asian Football Confederation]] (AFC). AFC teams have been allocated eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot.<ref name="48teams">{{Cite news|date=10 January 2017|title=Unanimous decision expands FIFA World Cup to 48 teams from 2026|publisher=FIFA|url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2017/m=1/news=fifa-council-unanimously-decides-on-expansion-of-the-fifa-world-cuptm--2863100.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110231324/http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2017/m=1/news=fifa-council-unanimously-decides-on-expansion-of-the-fifa-world-cuptm--2863100.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 January 2017}}</ref> The qualification process involves five rounds; the first two also serving as [[2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification|qualification]] for the [[2027 AFC Asian Cup]]. ==Entrants== All FIFA-affiliated nations entered the joint qualification process for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup; <!--DO NOT REMOVE THIS!-->[[Northern Mariana Islands national football team|Northern Mariana Islands]], who is not a [[FIFA]] member, will enter through the [[2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification#Play-off round|2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play-off round]].<ref name="new format"/><!--DO NOT REMOVE THIS!--> ==Format== The qualification format was announced on 1 August 2022, having been revamped to fit the increased finals allocation of eight direct qualifiers and one play-off qualifier:<ref name="AFC seeding">{{Cite web|title=Seedings revealed for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw|url=https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/fifa_world_cup/news/seedings_revealed_for_fifa_world_cup_2026_and_afc_asian_cup_saudi_arabia_2027™_qualifiers_draw.html|access-date=27 July 2023|website=the-AFC|language=en}}</ref> *'''First round''': 20 teams (ranked 27–46) played home-and-away over [[Two-legged tie|two legs]]. The ten winners advanced to the second round. The best loser qualified for the [[2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification#Third round|2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round]], while the remaining teams qualified for the [[2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round]]. *'''Second round''': 36 teams (ranked 1–26 and ten first-round winners) are divided into nine groups of four teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The nine group winners and group runners-up advance to the third round and automatically qualify for the [[2027 AFC Asian Cup]]. The remaining teams qualified for the [[2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification#Third round|2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round]].<!--DO NOT REMOVE AFC ASIAN CUP!--> *'''Third round''': 18 teams which advance from the second round are divided into three groups of six teams. The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams of each group qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup, the third and fourth-placed teams advance to the fourth round. *'''Fourth round''': Six third and fourth-placed teams from the third round are divided into two groups of three teams each. The teams will play against each other once in a neutral venue. The winners of each group qualify for the World Cup, and the runners-up of each group advance to the fifth round. *'''Fifth round''': The group runners-up in the fourth round will compete home-and-away over two legs to determine the Asian representation at the [[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|inter-confederation play-offs]].<ref name="new format">{{cite web|title=AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions|url=https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/afc_competitions/news/afc_competitions_committee_approves_key_decisions_on_reformatted_competitions_1.html|website=Asian Football Confederation|access-date=1 July 2023|date=1 July 2023}}</ref> ==Draw== The draw for the first and second rounds of joint qualification took place in [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]] on 27 July 2023.<ref name="AFC seeding"/><ref>{{cite web|date=5 July 2023|title=Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw|url=https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/fifa_world_cup/news/stage_set_for_fifa_world_cup_2026_and_afc_asian_cup_saudi_arabia_2027%E2%84%A2_qualifiers_draw.html|access-date=5 July 2023|publisher=AFC}}</ref> The top 26 ranked teams were given byes to the second round, while the 20 teams entering the first round were seeded into two pots of 10 teams each and drawn alternately from pot 1 then pot 2 to form a pairing. The team from pot 1 hosted the first leg and the team from pot 2 hosted the second leg. Pots 1, 2 and 3 for the second round draw contained the teams ranked 1–9, 10–18, and 19–26, respectively, while pot 4 contained placeholders for the ten first round ties. Nine teams were drawn from pot 4 first and placed in position 4 of each group. The tenth team from pot 4 was moved to Pot 3, and subsequently drawn at random from Pot 3. Teams were then drawn into each group sequentially from pots 3, 2, and 1.<ref name="AFC seeding"/> <!--DO NOT CHANGE THIS TABLE TO TWO COLUMNS AND DO NOT CHANGE THE RANKINGS--> {| class="wikitable" |+From the July 2023 [[FIFA World Rankings]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/men?dateId=id14079|title=FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2023|publisher=FIFA|date=20 July 2023}}</ref> |- ! colspan="3"|Bye to second round ! colspan="2"|Competing in first round |- ! style="width:20%" | Pot 1 ! style="width:20%" | Pot 2 ! style="width:20%" | Pot 3 ! style="width:20%" | Pot 1 ! style="width:20%" | Pot 2 |- style="vertical-align:top" |{{ordered list |{{fb|JPN}} (20) |{{fb|IRN}} (22) |{{fb|AUS}} (27) |{{fb|KOR}} (28) |{{fb|KSA}} (54) |{{fb|QAT}} (59) |{{fb|IRQ}} (70) |{{fb|UAE}} (72) |{{fb|OMA}} (73) }} |{{ordered list|start=10 |{{fb|UZB}} (74) |{{fb|CHN}} (80) |{{fb|JOR}} (82) |{{fb|BHR}} (86) |{{fb|SYR}} (94) |{{fb|VIE}} (95) |{{fb|PLE}} (96) |{{fb|KGZ}} (97) |{{fb|IND}} (99) }} |{{ordered list|start=19 |{{fb|LBN}} (100) |{{fb|TJK}} (110) |{{fb|THA}} (113) |{{fb|PRK}} (115) |{{fb|PHI}} (135) |{{fb|MAS}} (136) |{{fb|KUW}} (137) |{{fb|TKM}} (138) }} |{{ordered list|start=27 |{{fb|HKG}} (149) |{{fb|IDN}} (150) |{{fb|TPE}} (153) |{{fb|MDV}} (155) |{{fb|YEM}} (156) |{{fb|AFG}} (157) |{{fb|SIN}} (158) |{{fb|MYA}} (160) |{{fb|NEP}} (175) |{{fb|CAM}} (176) }} |{{ordered list|start=37 |{{fb|MAC}} (182) |{{fb|MNG}} (183) |{{fb|BHU}} (185) |{{fb|LAO}} (187) |{{fb|BAN}} (189) |{{fb|BRU}} (190) |{{fb|TLS}} (192) |{{fb|PAK}} (201) |{{fb|GUM}} (203) |{{fb|SRI}} (204) }} |} ==Schedule== The competition schedule is expected to be as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-(Aug-2023-Jul-2024).pdf|publisher=AFC|title=AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2023 – Jul 2024)|format=PDF|date=7 April 2023|access-date=12 April 2023|archive-date=22 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522064114/https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-(Aug-2023-Jul-2024).pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-(Aug-2024-Jul-2025).pdf|publisher=AFC|title=AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2024 – Jul 2025)|format=PDF|date=7 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026)|url=https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-(Aug-2025-Jul-2026).pdf|publisher=AFC|format=PDF|date=7 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="new format"/> {| |valign=top| {| class="wikitable" !Round !Matchday !Date |- |rowspan=2|[[#First round|First round]] |First leg |12 October 2023 |- |Second leg |17 October 2023 |- |rowspan=6|[[#Second round|Second round]] |Matchday 1 |16 November 2023 |- |Matchday 2 |21 November 2023 |- |Matchday 3 |21 March 2024 |- |Matchday 4 |26 March 2024 |- |Matchday 5 |6 June 2024 |- |Matchday 6 |11 June 2024 |} |valign=top| {| class="wikitable" !Round !Matchday !Date |- |rowspan=10|[[#Third round|Third round]] |Matchday 1 |5 September 2024 |- |Matchday 2 |10 September 2024 |- |Matchday 3 |10 October 2024 |- |Matchday 4 |15 October 2024 |- |Matchday 5 |14 November 2024 |- |Matchday 6 |19 November 2024 |- |Matchday 7 |20 March 2025 |- |Matchday 8 |25 March 2025 |- |Matchday 9 |5 June 2025 |- |Matchday 10 |10 June 2025 |} |valign=top| {| class="wikitable" !Round !Matchday !Dates |- |rowspan=3|[[#Fourth round|Fourth round]] |Matchday 1 |rowspan="3"| October 2025 |- |Matchday 2 |- |Matchday 3 |- |rowspan=2|[[#Fifth round|Fifth round]] |First leg |rowspan="2"| November 2025 |- |Second leg |} |} ==First round== {{Main|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round}} {{#lst:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round#Summary}} ==Second round== {{Main|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round}} <!--Hide ===Summary=== {{legend|#BBF3BB|Qualified for the third round and Asian Cup as winners or runners-up}} {{legend|#BBF3FF|Advanced to the Asian Cup third qualifying round as third or fourth place }} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="99.75%" |- align="center" ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group A|Group A]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group B|Group B]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group C|Group C]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group D|Group D]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group E|Group E]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group F|Group F]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group G|Group G]] ! width="12.5%" |[[#Group H|Group H]] ![[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Group I|Group I]] |- style="background:#BBF3BB; font-size:90%" | style="vertical-align:top" |{{fb-big|QAT}}<br /> | style="vertical-align:top" | | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | style="vertical-align:top" | | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /><br /> | style="vertical-align:top" | | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | |- style="background:#BBF3FF; font-size:90%" | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /><br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /><br /><br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /><br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /><br /><br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | style="vertical-align:top" |<br /> | |}--> ===Group A=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group A}} ===Group B=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group B}} ===Group C=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group C}} ===Group D=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group D}} ===Group E=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group E}} ===Group F=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group F}} ===Group G=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group G}} ===Group H=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group H}} ===Group I=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round|transcludesection=Group I}} ==Third round== {{Main|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round}} ===Group A=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group A}} ===Group B=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group B}} ===Group C=== {{:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group C}} ==Fourth round== <!--{{Main|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round}}--> ===Group A=== {{#invoke:Sports table|main|style=WDL |class_rules=[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification#Tiebreakers|Tiebreakers]] |name_A1=<!--{{fb|}}-->A1 |name_A2=<!--{{fb|}}-->A2 |name_A3=<!--{{fb|}}-->A3 <!--UPDATE standings and date below --> |update=future |start_date=October 2025 |win_A1=0 |draw_A1=0 |loss_A1=0 |gf_A1=0 |ga_A1=0 |win_A2=0 |draw_A2=0 |loss_A2=0 |gf_A2=0 |ga_A2=0 |win_A3=0 |draw_A3=0 |loss_A3=0 |gf_A3=0 |ga_A3=0 <!--UPDATE positions below (check tiebreakers)--> |team_order=A1, A2, A3 <!--UPDATE qualifications below--> |res_col_header=Q |result1=KO |result2=PO |col_KO=green1 |text_KO=[[2026 FIFA World Cup]] |col_PO=blue1 |text_PO=[[#Fifth round|Fifth round]] }} ===Group B=== {{#invoke:Sports table|main|style=WDL |class_rules=[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification#Tiebreakers|Tiebreakers]] |name_B1=<!--{{fb|}}-->B1 |name_B2=<!--{{fb|}}-->B2 |name_B3=<!--{{fb|}}-->B3 <!--UPDATE standings and date below --> |update=future |start_date=October 2025 |win_B1=0 |draw_B1=0 |loss_B1=0 |gf_B1=0 |ga_B1=0 |win_B2=0 |draw_B2=0 |loss_B2=0 |gf_B2=0 |ga_B2=0 |win_B3=0 |draw_B3=0 |loss_B3=0 |gf_B3=0 |ga_B3=0 <!--UPDATE positions below (check tiebreakers)--> |team_order=B1, B2, B3 <!--UPDATE qualifications below--> |res_col_header=Q |result1=Q |result2=PO |col_Q=green1 |text_Q=[[2026 FIFA World Cup]] |col_PO=blue1 |text_PO=[[#Fifth round|Fifth round]] }} ==Fifth round== The two second-placed teams in each group from the fourth round will play against each other over two legs in November 2025 to determine which team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.<ref name="new format"/> {{TwoLegStart}} {{TwoLegResult | <!--{{fb-rt|}}--> || – | <!--{{fb|}}--> || {{small|Nov '25}} | {{small|Nov '25}} }} {{end}} ==Inter-confederation play-offs== {{Main|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)}} The fifth-round winner will join one team each from [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]], [[CONMEBOL]], and [[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]] and two from [[CONCACAF]] in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the [[FIFA Men's World Ranking]], with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two {{nowrap|single-elimination}} matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of {{nowrap|single-elimination}} matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 March 2017|title=Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup|url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organisation/media-releases/bureau-of-the-council-recommends-slot-allocation-for-the-2026-fifa-wor-2878254|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619161123/https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organisation/media-releases/bureau-of-the-council-recommends-slot-allocation-for-the-2026-fifa-wor-2878254|archive-date=19 June 2022|access-date=22 May 2023|publisher=FIFA}}</ref><!-- ==Qualified teams== The following teams from AFC qualified for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup|final tournament]]. {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Team ! Qualified as ! Qualified on ! data-sort-type="number"|Previous [[National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup|appearances]] in [[FIFA World Cup]]^{'''[[#1|1]]'''} |- | TBD || [[#Group A 2|Third round group A]] winners || {{sort||} || |- | TBD || [[#Group B 2|Third round group B]] winners || {{sort||}} || |- | TBD || [[#Group C 2|Third round group C]] winners || {{sort||}} || |- | TBD || [[#Group A 2|Third round group A]] runners-up || {{sort||}} || |- | TBD || [[#Group B 2|Third round group B]] runners-up|| {{sort||}} || |- | TBD || [[#Group C 2|Third round group C]] runners-up || {{sort||}} || |- | TBD || [[#Group A 3|Fourth round group A]] winners || {{sort||}} || |- | TBD || [[#Group B 3|Fourth round group B]] winners || {{sort||}} || |}--> ==Top goalscorers== {{#invoke:Goalscorers|main|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|bold=yes|minimum=3}}<!--CAREFULLY update goalscorers at Module:Goalscorers/data/2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)--> Below are full goalscorer lists for each round: {{flatlist| *[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round#Goalscorers|First round]] *[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round#Goalscorers|Second round]] <!--*[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Goalscorers|Third round]]--> <!--*[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round#Goalscorers|Fourth round]]--> <!--*[[2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fifth round#Goalscorers|Fifth round]]--> }} ==See also== *[[2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{Official website|https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026|Official FIFA World Cup website}} *[https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup FIFA.com] *[https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/fifa_world_cup FIFA World Cup] – the-AFC.com {{2026 FIFA World Cup qualification}} [[Category:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)| ]] [[Category:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification|Afc]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)]] [[Category:2023 in Asian football]] [[Category:2024 in Asian football]] [[Category:2025 in Asian football]]'