Groups
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 December 1978 – 14 May 1979 |
| Teams | 17 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 91 (2.94 per match) |
| AFC Asian Qualifiers |
|---|
This 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification phase started in December 1978 while other qualification matches took place in early 1979. A total of 18 teams participated. Eight teams from the top two of each group advance to the final tournament, joining hosts Kuwait and defending champions Iran.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Syria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 United Arab Emirates | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
 Lebanon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 1 | |
 Bahrain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrawn [lower-alpha 1] |
| United Arab Emirates | 0–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Syria | 1–1 [lower-alpha 1] Cancelled | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Syria | 1–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Qatar | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 Bangladesh | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 | |
 Afghanistan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 |
Singapore received a bye Thailand  | 3–1 |  Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
Daoyod Dara  12'Withaya Laohakul 24'Manus R. 35' | Timo Kapissa 18' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Malaysia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 North Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
| Indonesia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
| Malaysia | 4–1 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Santokh Singh 35' James Wong 51'Bakri Ibni 55'Mokhtar Dahari 88' | Iswadi Idris 71' |
| North Korea | 3–1 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Pak Jong-hun 22', 75' Hong Song-nam 32' | Andi Lala 35' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 6 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 Hong Kong | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 4 | |
 Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 | |
| Singapore | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
North Korea and Malaysia qualified for the final tournament
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 6 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 China | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 | |
 Macau | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 | |
 Philippines | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 |
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kuwait | Hosts | N/A | 2 (1972, 1976) |
 Iran | 1976 AFC Asian Cup champions | 13 June 1976 | 3 (1968, 1972, 1976) |
| Syria | Group 1 winners | 22 November 1979 | 0 (debut) |
| United Arab Emirates | Group 1 runners-up | 23 November 1979 | 0 (debut) |
| Qatar | Group 2 winners | 15 January 1979 | 0 (debut) |
| Bangladesh | Group 2 runners-up | 16 January 1979 | 0 (debut) |
| North Korea | Group 3 winners | 12 May 1979 | 0 (debut) |
| Malaysia | Group 3 runners-up | 11 May 1979 | 1 (1976) |
 South Korea | Group 4 winners | 29 December 1978 | 4 (1956, 1960, 1964, 1972) |
| China | Group 4 runners-up | 29 December 1978 | 1 (1976) |
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