AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

The AFC Asian Cup qualification[n 1] is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the final tournament of AFC Asian Cup. The qualification reduces the large field of eligible entrants from 47 to just 24 for the finals.

AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
Founded1956
RegionAsia and Australia (AFC)
Number of teams46 (currently eligible)
47 (overall)
Qualifier forAFC Asian Cup
WebsiteOfficial website
2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

The hosts receive automatic berths, and between 1972 and 2015 (except 1976), so did the defending champions.

Format evolution

Over the past century, the AFC Asian Cup has seen various changes in its qualification format as well as the number of teams participating.

Number of teams entering qualification
Hong Kong
1956		 South Korea
1960		 Israel
1964		 Iran
1968		 Thailand
1972		 Iran
1976		 Kuwait
1980		 Singapore
1984		 Qatar
1988		 Japan
1992		 United Arab Emirates
1996		 Lebanon
2000		 China
2004		 Indonesia
Malaysia
Thailand
Vietnam
2007		 Qatar
2011		 Australia
2015		 United Arab Emirates
2019		 Qatar
2023		 Saudi Arabia
2027
Total entrants 19181819263131302422354243252720464647
Played at least one match 61041413151721202033242445TBA
Qualified via qualification 2313539886101014121011232323
Qualified without playing 2[lower-alpha 1]13[lower-alpha 2]2[lower-alpha 1]13[lower-alpha 2]12222224650[lower-alpha 3]0[lower-alpha 3]0[lower-alpha 3]
Total finalists 4444661010108121216161616242424
  1. 1 team qualified by walkover
  2. 2 teams qualified by walkover
  3. The host qualified automatically for the Asian Cup but participated in the qualification as a World Cup qualifier.

1956

The 19 teams were divided in to three different zones based upon their location. In each zone, the teams played in a two legged Knockout format. The four winners of first round advanced to the next round. The two winners in the second round advanced to final which decided the team participating in the final tournament along with the hosts.

1960–1972

From 1960, the format had a slight change. The participating teams were again divided into zones based upon their location. The teams in their zones played against each other once, in a round robin format. The group topper of each zone advanced to the final tournament along with the hosts.

1972–1980

Starting from 1972, the format saw another change. Instead of zones, the teams were now divided into groups, with two teams instead of one advancing to the final tournament along with the hosts. Also the number of teams participating in the final tournament was increased to six and then to ten in 1980.

1984 & 1988

For a brief period, the teams were divided into groups not based on their location. This saw teams from all zones competing against each other in Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time since its inception. Two teams from each group qualified for the final tournament, along with the winners of previous edition who received a direct entry and as well as the hosts.

1992–2000

The format was reverted to an older one where teams were segregated based upon their location, but this time the number of participating nations increased. Winners of previous edition and the hosts were joined by the winner of each groups in qualifiers. The number of participants in the final tournament was increased to 12.

2004 & 2007

The tournament started from the preliminary round where the lower ranked teams played against each other, the winners of this round qualified for the qualifying round. In the qualifying round, top two teams from each group qualified for the final tournament. Participation of teams in the final tournament increased from 12 to 16.

2011 & 2015

The hosts, previous edition's winners, runner-up and third placed sides automatically qualified for the final tournament. AFC Challenge Cup winners(2) were also awarded a slot in the final tournament. The remaining ten slots were decided by the qualifying tournament in which the lower ranked teams played in preliminary rounds and the winners advanced to the qualifying round. In the qualifying round, the top two teams from each group received a berth in the final tournament.

2019–present

The proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds for FIFA World Cup qualifiers with those for the Asian Cup was ratified by the AFC Competitions Committee.[1]

The tournament was expanded to 24 teams from previous number of 16.

The qualification structure is as follows:[1][2]

  • First round: A total of 12 teams (teams ranked 35–46) played home-and-away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: A total of 40 teams (teams ranked 1–34 and six first round winners) were divided into eight groups of five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches.
    • The eight group winners and the four best group runners-up advanced to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification as well as qualified for the AFC Asian Cup finals.
    • The next 16 highest ranked teams (the remaining four group runners-up, the eight third-placed teams and the four best group fourth-placed teams) advanced directly to the third round of Asian Cup qualification.
    • The remaining 12 teams entered the play-off round to contest the remaining eight spots in the third round of Asian Cup qualification.[3]
  • Play-off round: At a Competition Committee meeting in November 2014, it was decided that a play-off round of qualifying would be introduced into the qualification procedure.[4] There were two rounds of home-and-away two-legged play-off matches to determine the final eight qualifiers for the third round.
  • Third round: The 24 teams were divided into six groups of four to play home-and-away round-robin matches, and they competed for the remaining slots of the AFC Asian Cup.

The play-off round represented a change from the initially announced qualification format – which saw the remaining fourth-placed teams and the four best group fifth-placed teams also advance to the third round.[1]

Participating teams

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for the purposes of first appearance. Teams that withdrew prior to the qualification, or that qualified to the AFC Asian Cup by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals, are not considered.

First appearance in qualification by team
Year Debuting teams Successor teams Renamed teams
Teams No. CT
1956  Cambodia[upper-alpha 1],  Malaya[upper-alpha 2],  Philippines,  Republic of China[upper-alpha 3],  South Korea,  South Vietnam[upper-alpha 4] 6 6
1960  Hong Kong[lower-alpha 1],  India[lower-alpha 2],  Iran[lower-alpha 2],  Israel[lower-alpha 3],  Pakistan[lower-alpha 2],  Singapore[lower-alpha 2] 6 12
1964  Thailand[lower-alpha 4] 1 13  Malaysia[upper-alpha 2]
1968  Burma[lower-alpha 5][upper-alpha 5],  Indonesia[lower-alpha 6],  Japan[lower-alpha 5] 3 16
1972  Bahrain,  Brunei,  Ceylon[lower-alpha 7][upper-alpha 6],  Iraq,  Jordan,  Kuwait[lower-alpha 8],  Lebanon,  Syria 8 24  Khmer Republic[upper-alpha 1]
1976  Afghanistan[lower-alpha 9],  China,  North Korea,  Qatar,  Saudi Arabia 5 29
1980  Bangladesh[lower-alpha 10],  Macau,  United Arab Emirates 3 32  Sri Lanka[upper-alpha 6]
1984    Nepal[lower-alpha 11],  North Yemen[upper-alpha 7],  Oman 3 35
1988  South Yemen[lower-alpha 12] 1 36
1992 0 36  Chinese Taipei[upper-alpha 3]
1996  Guam,  Kazakhstan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Maldives[lower-alpha 13],  Tajikistan,  Turkmenistan,  Uzbekistan 7 43  Yemen[upper-alpha 7]
 Vietnam[upper-alpha 4]		  Myanmar[upper-alpha 5]
2000  Bhutan,  Laos[lower-alpha 11],  Mongolia,  Palestine 4 47  Cambodia[upper-alpha 1]
2004  East Timor 1 48
2007  Australia 1 49
2011 0 49
2015 0 49
2019 0 49
2023 0 49
2027  Northern Mariana Islands 1 50
Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification
  1. Qualified automatically for the 1956 Asian Cup as host.
  2. Withdrew from the 1956 qualification before playing.
  3. Qualified by walkover for the 1956 finals.
  4. Withdrew from the 1956 and 1960 qualification before playing.
  5. Withdrew from the 1956, 1960 and 1964 qualifications before playing.
  6. Withdrew from the 1956 and 1964 qualification before playing. In 1960 Indonesia declined to participate due to an AFC membership dispute
  7. Withdrew from the 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968 qualifications before playing.
  8. Withdrew from the 1968 qualification before playing.
  9. Withdrew from the 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 qualifications before playing.
  10. Withdrew from the 1976 qualification before playing.
  11. Withdrew from the 1972, 1976 and 1980 qualifications before playing.
  12. Qualified automatically for the 1976 finals. Withdrew from the 1980 and 1984 qualifications before playing.
  13. Withdrew from the 1992 qualification before playing.
Successor and renamed teams
  1. Cambodia was renamed as Khmer Republic in the 1972 qualification, then entered the 1980 qualification as  Democratic Kampuchea but withdrew, and in the 2000 qualification again using the name Cambodia
  2. Malaya was succeeded by Malaysia from the 1964 qualification.
  3. The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1992 qualification.
  4. South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1996 qualification.
  5. Burma was renamed as Myanmar from the 1996 qualification.
  6. Ceylon was renamed as Sri Lanka from the 1980 qualification.
  7. North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.

Team records

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the three points for a win system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions among all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column only counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match, while the "Appearances in the finals" also include automatic qualifiers.

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Key
Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process
Team has qualified for the main tournament only automatically as host
Team has not qualified for the main tournament
Team is not a member of AFC but has qualified for the main tournament
Defunct team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover
Team is not a member of AFC and is not eligible for the main tournament

Teams in bold are currently participating or are yet to start in the 2027 qualification. The table is updated to the matches played after 2023 qualification.

No. Team Qualifying attempts Appearances
in the finals		 Overall qualification record Points
Total Successful Pld W D L GF GA GD Points Avg
1  Iran 121115695210720937+1721662.406
2  China 121213604111817826+1521342.233
3  Qatar 11911584171013438+961302.241
4  South Korea 13101556416918624+1621292.304
5  Thailand 158881381528155107+481291.593
6  United Arab Emirates 11101156408815534+1211282.286
7  Syria 13776738111813467+671251.866
8  Saudi Arabia 881148396315221+1311232.563
9  Oman 1055613671814060+801151.885
10  Jordan 11556433151611352+611141.781
11  Bahrain 1177653492210060+401111.708
12  Japan 861044354513819+1191092.477
13  Iraq 9910493310610236+661092.224
14  Kuwait 117106130171413458+761071.754
15  Malaysia 173479301534144130+141051.329
16  Uzbekistan 88847335911239+731042.212
17  Hong Kong 173490272340115131–161041.155
18  Vietnam 12456327112511391+22921.460
19  North Korea 765452311117048+22801.777
20  Indonesia 13456421123196103–7751.171
21  Lebanon 823522110217471+3731.403
22  India 11356319113373106–33681.079
23  Singapore 13017419114481141–60680.918
24  Australia 4452621237013+57652.500
25  Yemen 10117017134075139–64640.914
26  Turkmenistan 52237185145853+5591.567
27  Palestine 52340176177846+32571.425
28  Tajikistan 51138167155756+1551.447
29  Myanmar 611451652460120–60531.177
30  Kyrgyzstan 52234155145850+8501.470
31  Chinese Taipei 1022561433972148–76450.803
32  Cambodia 611471253044140–96410.872
33  Philippines 911451172745116–71400.888
34  Afghanistan 600416102534109–75280.682
35  Bangladesh 911535133733140–107280.528
36  Maldives 60045833440134–94270.600
37  Sri Lanka 80042813330132–102250.595
38  Mongolia 4002071122041–21221.100
39  Macau 7002452172255–33170.708
40  Bhutan 40032522522166–144170.531
41  Pakistan 110039443123105–82160.410
42    Nepal 70039423314158–144140.358
43  Kazakhstan 2008404990121.500
44  Laos 4001933131362–49120.631
45  Israel 1146321108+2111.833
46  Guam 50026312413122–109100.384
47  Brunei 600152112659–5370.466
48  South Yemen 101301214–310.333
49  East Timor 300180018678–7200.000
50  Northern Mariana Islands 000000000000.000

Teams that have never qualified for the finals tournament and droughts
See also: AFC Asian Cup records and statistics § Teams yet to qualify for finals

See also

Notes
  1. The notation used in the logo for the qualifiers is "AFC Asian Qualifiers"

References
  1. "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  2. "AFC Asian Cup 2019 Competition Regulations". AFC.
  3. "World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Completing the tournament's qualifying contenders will be the next 16 highest ranked teams, with the remaining 12 sides battling it out in play-off matches to claim the last eight spots.
  4. "AFC Competitions Committee meeting". Asian Football Confederation. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
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