Everything you need to know about Asian qualifying

Discover dates, qualifying format and the number of tickets to the next FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Play-Off Tournament in Asia.

FIFA World Cup 26™ tickets: 8FIFA World Cup 26™ tickets: 8

FIFA Play-off Tournament spots: 1

FIFA Play-off Tournament spots: 1


Schedule

Schedule

  • Round 1: 9-17 October 2023

  • Round 2: 13 November 2023 to 11 June 2024 

  • Round 3: 2 September 2024 to 10 June 2025

  • Round 4: October 2025

  • Round 5: November 2025


Teams qualified for FIFA World Cup 26 Teams qualified for FIFA World Cup 26

Australia, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan (8)

Teams qualified for the FIFA Play-Off TournamentTeams qualified for the FIFA Play-Off Tournament

Iraq (1)

Eliminated teamsEliminated teams


Second roundSecond round


Third, fourth & fifth roundsThird, fourth & fifth rounds

The 18 nations that qualified for the third round were split into three groups of six. The top two from each section have now qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026.


Japan secured the confederation's first qualification slot with a 2-0 win over Bahrain on 20 March, and were later joined by Australia, IR Iran, Jordan, Korea Republic and Uzbekistan.

The fourth round, which heralds the beginning of the Asian play-offs, consisted of the six sides which finished third and fourth respectively across the third-round groups - Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

They were drawn into two groups of three for matches from October 2025, with the winners of these groups qualifying for the finals. Qatar secured top spot in Group A, while Saudi Arabia were the winners of Group B.

Finally, the fifth round pitted together the two sides which finished as runners-up in the fourth-round group - United Arab Emirates and Iraq - in a two-legged contest. Iraq emerged as the winner 3-2 on aggregate and advanced to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.


FIFA Play-Off TournamentFIFA Play-Off Tournament

Six sides will fight it out for the final two places at the 23rd FIFA World Cup. It will involve two teams from Concacaf and one team apiece from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC regions.


The four lowest-ranked nations will meet in bracket semi-finals. The two highest-ranked teams will go directly into the finals. The winners of the two bracket finals will reach the World Cup 2026.

See the FIFA/Coca-Cola World RankingSee the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking


FIFA World Cup appearances


FIFA World Cup appearances


11 – Korea Republic 

7 – Japan

6 – Australia

6 – Iran

6 – Saudi Arabia

2 – Korea DPR

1 – Indonesia

1 – Kuwait

1 – Iraq

1 – United Arab Emirates

1 – China PR

1 – Qatar