Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualification for the 2026 World Cup resumes on March 21, 2024, with eight teams aiming to continue their unbeaten start, while 14 nations seek their first victories.
After the recent conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup, the focus has now shifted back to the qualification journey for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Matchdays 3 and 4 commence on March 21, unfolding across the nine groups.
Powerhouses like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, hope to maintain their perfect records and secure progression to the third round. On the other hand, teams such as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Nepal aim to get some points on the board and keep their hopes alive for advancement.
The Sporting News provides updates on the AFC qualification groups as anticipation builds for two pivotal rounds of matches.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process for the AFC will determine which teams from Asia will participate in the USA, Canada and Mexico tournament.
Within this process, AFC teams will compete for eight direct qualification places and one additional slot through an inter-confederation playoff.
We are currently in the second round of the qualification process. This means 36 teams, consisting of the top 26 ranked teams along with ten first-round winners, are divided into nine groups, each comprising four teams.
These teams will compete in a home-and-away format against each other within their respective groups. The winners and runners-up of each group will progress to the third round and secure automatic qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The remaining teams will advance to the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification.
AFC World Cup 2026 qualifying groups and standings
Group A table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Qatar | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| 2. India | 4 | 3 | -2 |
| 3. Kuwait | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 4. Afghanistan | 1 | 3 | -11 |
Group B table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Japan | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| 2. Syria | 4 | 3 | -4 |
| 3. North Korea | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4. Myanmar | 1 | 3 | -10 |
Group C table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. South Korea | 7 | 3 | 8 |
| 2. Thailand | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 3. China | 4 | 3 | -2 |
| 4. Singapore | 1 | 3 | -7 |
Group D table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Oman | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 2. Kyrgyzstan | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| 3. Malaysia | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 4. Chinese Taipei | 0 | 3 | -6 |
Group E table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Iran | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| 2. Uzbekistan | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 3. Hong Kong | 1 | 3 | -6 |
| 4. Turkmenistan | 1 | 3 | -7 |
Group F table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Iraq | 9 | 3 | 6 |
| 2. Indonesia | 4 | 3 | -3 |
| 3. Vietnam | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 4. Philippines | 1 | 3 | -3 |
Group G table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Saudi Arabia | 9 | 3 | 7 |
| 2. Tajikistan | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 3. Jordan | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 4. Pakistan | 0 | 3 | -12 |
Group H table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. UAE | 9 | 3 | 7 |
| 2. Bahrain | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| 3. Yemen | 3 | 3 | -1 |
| 4. Nepal | 0 | 3 | -11 |
Group I table
| Team | PTS | GP | GD |
|---|
| 1. Australia | 9 | 3 | 10 |
| 2. Palestine | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 3. Lebanon | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| 4. Bangladesh | 1 | 3 | -12 |
AFC World Cup 2026 qualifying fixtures and results
Thursday, March 21, 2024
| Game | Score |
| Pakistan vs Jordan | 0-3 |
| Australia vs Lebanon | 2-0 |
| Japan vs Korea DPR | 1-0 |
| Korea Republic vs Thailand | 1-1 |
| Chinese Taipei vs Kyrgyz Republic | 0-2 |
| Myanmar vs Syria | 1-1 |
| Hong Kong vs Uzbekistan | 0-2 |
| Singapore vs China PR | 2-2 |
| Indonesia vs Vietnam | 1-0 |
| IR Iran vs Turkmenistan | 5-0 |
| Oman vs Malaysia | 2-0 |
| United Arab Emirates vs Yemen | 2-1 |
| Palestine vs Bangladesh | 5-0 |
| Qatar vs Kuwait | 3-0 |
| Iraq vs Philippines | 1-0 |
| Nepal vs Bahrain | 0-5 |
| Saudi Arabia vs Tajikistan | 1-0 |
| Afghanistan vs India | 0-0 |
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
| Game | Score |
| Korea DPR vs Japan | — |
| Lebanon vs Australia | — |
| Bangladesh vs Palestine | — |
| Philippines vs Iraq | — |
| Vietnam vs Indonesia | — |
| China PR vs Singapore | — |
| Thailand vs Korea Republic | — |
| India vs Afghanistan | — |
| Kyrgyz Republic vs Chinese Taipei | — |
| Malaysia vs Oman | — |
| Uzbekistan vs Hong Kong | — |
| Tajikistan vs Saudi Arabia | — |
| Turkmenistan vs IR Iran | — |
| Bahrain vs Nepal | — |
| Yemen vs United Arab Emirates | — |
| Syria vs Myanmar | — |
| Kuwait vs Qatar | — |
| Jordan vs Pakistan | — |
Thursday, June 6, 2024
| Game | Score |
| Korea DPR vs Syria | — |
| Singapore vs Korea Republic | — |
| Afghanistan vs Qatar | — |
| Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia | — |
| Jordan vs Tajikistan | — |
| Bangladesh vs Australia | — |
| Indonesia vs Iraq | — |
| Chinese Taipei vs Oman | — |
| Palestine vs Lebanon | — |
| Kyrgyz Republic vs Malaysia | — |
| Hong Kong vs IR Iran | — |
| Nepal vs United Arab Emirates | — |
| India vs Kuwait | — |
| Myanmar vs Japan | — |
| Bahrain vs Yemen | — |
| Uzbekistan vs Turkmenistan | — |
| China PR vs Thailand | — |
| Vietnam vs Philippines | — |
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
| Game | Score |
| IR Iran vs Uzbekistan | — |
| Lebanon vs Bangladesh | — |
| Saudi Arabia vs Jordan | — |
| United Arab Emirates vs Bahrain | — |
| Korea DPR vs Myanmar | — |
| Tajikistan vs Pakistan | — |
| Yemen vs Nepal | — |
| Korea Republic vs China PR | — |
| Oman vs Kyrgyz Republic | — |
| Iraq vs Vietnam | — |
| Qatar vs India | — |
| Malaysia vs Chinese Taipei | — |
| Japan vs Syria | — |
| Turkmenistan vs Hong Kong | — |
| Thailand vs Singapore | — |
| Australia vs Palestine | — |
| Kuwait vs Afghanistan | — |
| Indonesia vs Philippines | — |
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