World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers: Teams, groups, format, schedule, favourites

When do the AFC qualifiers take place for the World Cup? How many countries are playing? Al Jazeera answers.

The Asian Football Confederation’s third-round qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will begin on Thursday, as 18 teams battle for the eight places up for grabs.

The final stage of qualification will culminate in June 2025, but several teams will be able to cement their spots in the North American edition of the World Cup much earlier.

Here’s everything to know as Asia’s finest battle it out for a place at global football’s showpiece event:

Following the second round of preliminary knockout matches, the group stages of the AFC qualifiers have now been formed by the 18 remaining teams from the region. There are eight automatic qualifying places up for grabs plus an additional place in the last chance saloon that is the intercontinental playoffs.

The 18 remaining Asian teams have been split into three groups of six, who will face each other home and away. The top two teams will automatically qualify for the World Cup.

Six teams, comprising the best third- and fourth-placed finishers from the three groups, will then be divided into two groups. The three teams in each group of these two groups will face the other once at a neutral venue. The top two teams will progress to the World Cup.

The second-placed sides will face each other in a playoff for a spot in the intercontinental playoffs for the remaining World Cup berths.

The 18 teams have been split into the three following groups:

Group A

Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyz Republic, DPR Korea

Group B

South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait

Group C

Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia

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