| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 25 (from 1 confederation) | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top scorer(s) |  Hwang Sun-Hong (7 goals) | 
| Best player(s) |  Kim Joo-sung  [1] | 
| ← 1986   1994 → | |
| AFC Asian Qualifiers | 
|---|
The Asian Football Confederation was allocated two assured qualifying berths for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. 26 teams were in the running for these spots; Bahrain, India, Maldives and South Yemen withdrew without playing a qualifying match.
Asia's two automatic qualifying berths were taken by Korea Republic and the United Arab Emirates.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | QAT | IRQ | JOR | OMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Qatar | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 9 | — | 1 – 0 | 1 – 0 | 3 – 0 | |
|  Iraq | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 8 | 2 – 2 | — | 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 | |
|  Jordan | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 5 | 1 – 1 | 0 – 1 | — | 2 – 0 | |
|  Oman | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 1 | 0 – 2 | — | 
Qatar advanced to the final round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KSA | SYR | NYE | BHR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Saudi Arabia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7 | — | 5 – 4 | 1 – 0 | X – X | |
|  Syria | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 5 | 0 – 0 | — | 2 – 0 | X – X | |
|  North Yemen | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 | 0 – 1 | 0 – 1 | — | X – X | |
|  Bahrain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X – X | X – X | X – X | — | 
Saudi Arabia advanced to the final round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | UAE | KUW | PAK | SYE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  United Arab Emirates | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 | — | 1 – 0 | 5 – 0 | X – X | |
|  Kuwait | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | 3 – 2 | — | 2 – 0 | X – X | |
|  Pakistan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 | 1 – 4 | 0 – 1 | — | X – X | |
|  South Yemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X – X | X – X | X – X | — | 
United Arab Emirates advanced to the final round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KOR | MAS | SIN | NEP | IND | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  South Korea | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | +25 | 12 | — | 3 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 9 – 0 | X – X | |
|  Malaysia | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 – 3 | — | 1 – 0 | 3 – 0 | X – X | |
|  Singapore | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 5 | 0 – 3 | 2 – 2 | — | 7 – 0 | X – X | |
|  Nepal | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 | −28 | 0 | 0 – 4 | 0 – 2 | 0 – 3 | — | X – X | |
|  India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X – X | X – X | X – X | X – X | — | 
Korea Republic advanced to the final round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | CHN | IRN | BAN | THA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  China | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 10 | — | 2 – 0 | 2 – 0 | 2 – 0 | |
|  Iran | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 10 | 3 – 2 | — | 1 – 0 | 3 – 0 | |
|  Bangladesh | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 | 0 – 2 | 1 – 2 | — | 3 – 1 | |
|  Thailand | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 2 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 3 | 1 – 0 | — | 
China advanced to the final round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PRK | JPN | IDN | HKG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  North Korea | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 9 | — | 2 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 4 – 1 | |
|  Japan | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | 2 – 1 | — | 5 – 0 | 0 – 0 | |
|  Indonesia | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 5 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | — | 3 – 2 | |
|  Hong Kong | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 3 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 1 | — | 
Korea DPR advanced to the final round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  South Korea | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 8 | 
|  United Arab Emirates | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | 
|  Qatar | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 5 | 
|  China | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | 
|  Saudi Arabia | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | 
|  North Korea | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 | 
Korea Republic and the United Arab Emirates qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
| United Arab Emirates  | 0–0 |  North Korea | 
|---|---|---|
| China  | 2–1 |  Saudi Arabia | 
|---|---|---|
| Mai Chao  63' (pen.), 70' | (Report) | Al-Bishi  24' (pen.) | 
| South Korea  | 0–0 |  Qatar | 
|---|---|---|
| Qatar  | 1–1 |  Saudi Arabia | 
|---|---|---|
| Muftah  87' | (Report) | Al-Suwaiti  4' | 
| South Korea  | 1–0 |  North Korea | 
|---|---|---|
| Hwang Sun-hong  18' | 
| United Arab Emirates  | 2–1 |  China | 
|---|---|---|
| K. Mubarak  87' Al Talyani  88' | Tang Yaodong  61' | 
| South Korea  | 1–0 |  China | 
|---|---|---|
| Kim Joo-sung  67' | 
| North Korea  | 2–0 |  Qatar | 
|---|---|---|
| Kim Pung-Il  23' Ghu Gyong-Sik  32' | 
| Saudi Arabia  | 0–0 |  United Arab Emirates | 
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | 
| United Arab Emirates  | 1–1 |  Qatar | 
|---|---|---|
| K. Mubarak  20' | Sulaiti  37' | 
| China  | 1–0 |  North Korea | 
|---|---|---|
| Xie Yuxin  67' | 
| South Korea  | 2–0 |  Saudi Arabia | 
|---|---|---|
| Hwangbo Kwan  42' Hwang Sun-hong  89' | (Report) | 
| Qatar  | 2–1 |  China | 
|---|---|---|
| Al-Soufi  87' Muftah  87' | Ma Lin  76' | 
| United Arab Emirates  | 1–1 |  South Korea | 
|---|---|---|
| Al Talyani  16' | Hwangbo Kwan  8' | 
| Saudi Arabia  | 2–0 |  North Korea | 
|---|---|---|
| Al-Musaibeah  13' Al-Suwaiti  57' | (Report) | 
The following two teams from AFC qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup 1 | 
|---|---|---|---|
|  South Korea | Final round winners | 25 October 1989 | 2 (1954, 1986) | 
|  United Arab Emirates | Final round runners-up | 28 October 1989 | 0 (debut) | 
 Tang Yaodong
  Tang Yaodong  Wang Baoshan
  Wang Baoshan  Tim Bredbury
  Tim Bredbury  Nang Yan Leung
  Nang Yan Leung  Herry Kiswanto
  Herry Kiswanto  Karim Bavi
  Karim Bavi  Hussein Saeed
  Hussein Saeed  Mohamed Al-Diabaz
  Mohamed Al-Diabaz  Khaled Khalil Awad
  Khaled Khalil Awad  Ali Marwi
  Ali Marwi  Salah Al-Hasawi
  Salah Al-Hasawi  Han Hyong-Il
  Han Hyong-Il  Ri Hyok-chon
  Ri Hyok-chon Mansoor Muftah
  Mansoor Muftah  Fahad Al-Bishi
  Fahad Al-Bishi  Majed Abdullah
  Majed Abdullah  Mohaisen Al-Jam'an
  Mohaisen Al-Jam'an  Saadoun Al-Suwaiti
  Saadoun Al-Suwaiti  Darimosuvito Devaraj
  Darimosuvito Devaraj  Salim Moin
  Salim Moin  Ahmad Satter
  Ahmad Satter  Cho Min-kook
  Cho Min-kook  Choi Sang-kook
  Choi Sang-kook  Lee Tae-ho
  Lee Tae-ho  Zuhair Bakhit
  Zuhair Bakhit  Khalid Ismaïl
  Khalid Ismaïl  Khaleel Mubarak
  Khaleel Mubarak  Mohammad Aslam
  Mohammad Aslam  Satyajit Das Rupu
  Satyajit Das Rupu  Wasim Iqbal
  Wasim Iqbal  Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir
  Rumman Bin Wali Sabbir  Jia Xiuquan
  Jia Xiuquan  Liu Haiguang
  Liu Haiguang  Xie Yuxin
  Xie Yuxin  Zhang Xiaowen
  Zhang Xiaowen  Leslie Santos
  Leslie Santos  Inyong Lolumbuman
  Inyong Lolumbuman  Mustaqim
  Mustaqim  Mustamu Yessy
  Mustamu Yessy  Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard
  Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard  Sayed Ali Eftekhari
  Sayed Ali Eftekhari  Sirous Ghayeghran
  Sirous Ghayeghran  Samad Marfavi
  Samad Marfavi  Natiq Hashim
  Natiq Hashim  Habib Jafar
  Habib Jafar  Ismail Mohammed Sharif
  Ismail Mohammed Sharif  Kenta Hasegawa
  Kenta Hasegawa  Takumi Horiike
  Takumi Horiike  Hisashi Kurosaki
  Hisashi Kurosaki  Osamu Maeda
  Osamu Maeda  Takashi Mizunuma
  Takashi Mizunuma  Katsuyoshi Shinto
  Katsuyoshi Shinto  Rateb Al-Dawoud
  Rateb Al-Dawoud  Abdulaziz Al-Hajeri
  Abdulaziz Al-Hajeri  Fahad Yousef Al-Sovayed
  Fahad Yousef Al-Sovayed  Kurapiah Gunalan
  Kurapiah Gunalan  Azizol Abu Haniffah
  Azizol Abu Haniffah  Lim Teong Kim
  Lim Teong Kim  Kim Gwang-Mon
  Kim Gwang-Mon  Tak Yong-Bin
  Tak Yong-Bin  Yun Jong-Su
  Yun Jong-Su  Mohamed Ali Hamoud
  Mohamed Ali Hamoud  Nasser Khaleefa
  Nasser Khaleefa  Ali Sharafat
  Ali Sharafat  Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa
  Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa  Jumah Salem Joher
  Jumah Salem Joher  Adel Mubarak Khamis
  Adel Mubarak Khamis  Mansour Sulaiti
  Mansour Sulaiti  Fahad Al-Musaibeah
  Fahad Al-Musaibeah  Ahmed Madani
  Ahmed Madani  Yousuf Al-Thunayan
  Yousuf Al-Thunayan  Arj Changatamilman
  Arj Changatamilman  Tay Peng Kee
  Tay Peng Kee  Choi Soon-ho
  Choi Soon-ho  Chung Hae-won
  Chung Hae-won  Chung Yong-hwan
  Chung Yong-hwan  Kim Joo-sung
  Kim Joo-sung  Lee Hak-jong
  Lee Hak-jong  Lee Young-jin
  Lee Young-jin  Park Kyung-hoon
  Park Kyung-hoon  Walid Al-Nasser
  Walid Al-Nasser  Walid Abou El-Sel
  Walid Abou El-Sel  Abdul Latif Helou
  Abdul Latif Helou  Mohammed Jakalan
  Mohammed Jakalan  Prasert Changmool
  Prasert Changmool  Piyapong Pue-On
  Piyapong Pue-On  Abdulaziz Mohamed
  Abdulaziz Mohamed  Abdulrahman Mohamed
  Abdulrahman Mohamed  Oh Yong-Nam (playing against Japan)
  Oh Yong-Nam (playing against Japan)