AFC (Asian Football Confederation) allotted the eight qualifying slots along with one inter-confederation play-off slot. These national teams will act as upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers. When we talk about the process of qualification, then it includes five rounds. The first two teams will also get a chance to serve in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Football is a popular sport throughout the world and also has a huge fanbase. Keeping this in mind, multiple football federations organize various tournaments. The FIFA World Cup is one of the most popular and important tournaments of all.
When we talk about the total number of teams who are going to perform in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, then there are 36 football teams. All the teams are divided into nine groups of four and have to follow the round-robin technique. Want to know the schedule of FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers matches schedule and formats? Then be with this blog. Here we will discuss more about this upcoming football tournament 2026.
Schedule of FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers
Qualifiers will be chosen by holding different matches in five rounds by following a round-robin format. To make you comfortable with the dates and rounds and matchday.
Round First
| Date | Matchday |
|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2023 | First leg |
| 17 Oct 2023 | Second Leg |
Round Second
| Date | Matchday |
|---|---|
| 16 Nov 2023 | Matchday 1 |
| 21 Nov 2023 | Matchday 2 |
| 21 March 2024 | Matchday 3 |
| 26 March 2024 | Matchday 4 |
| 6 June 2024 | Matchday 5 |
| 11 June 2024 | Matchday 6 |
3rd Round of FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers
| Dates | Matchday |
|---|---|
| 5 Sept 2024 | Matchday 1 |
| 10 Sept 2024 | Matchday 2 |
| 10 Oct 2024 | Matchday 3 |
| 15 Oct 2024 | Matchday 4 |
| 14 Nov 2024 | Matchday 5 |
| 19 Nov 2024 | Matchday 6 |
| 20 March 2025 | Matchday 7 |
| 25 March 2025 | Matchday 8 |
| 5 June 2025 | Matchday 9 |
| 10 June 2025 | Matchday 10 |
Round Four
| Date | Matchday |
|---|---|
| 8 Oct 2025 | Matchday 1 |
| 11 Oct 2025 | Matchday 2 |
| 14 Oct 2025 | Matchday 3 |
Fifth Round
| Date | Matchday |
|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2025 | First leg |
| 18 Nov 2025 | Second leg |
By going through the above-mentioned tables, you will get to know the schedule of the tournament. Along with this, you can also see the Top 10 Best FIFA World Cup Football Players in these tournaments. So now it’s time to know about the teams that qualify for the matches now and scored a place in the next round.
Second Round Standings for the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 18 |
| 2 | Palestine | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Lebanon | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 3 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16 | -15 | 1 |
Third Round Standings for the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Bahrain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 4 |
| 5 | Indonesia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | China | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -10 | 0 |
With the help of this table, football freaks will get to know the teams that are going to play a match in the third round.
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