 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12–17 October 2023 |
| Teams | 20 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 51 (2.55 per match) |
| Attendance | 138,247 (6,912 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Dimas Drajad Ramadhan Sananta (3 goals each) |
The AFC first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification , which also served as the first round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification , was played from 12 to 17 October 2023. [1]
A total of twenty teams were drawn into ten home-and-away ties, the winners of which advanced to the second round. [2] As the second round draw occurred on the same date as the first round draw, [3] each winner already knew their second round schedule.
The schedule was as follows: [1]
| Matchday | Date(s) | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 12 October 2023 | 1 v 2 |
| Matchday 2 | 17 October 2023 | 2 v 1 |
The draw for the first round was held on 27 July 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [4]
These 20 teams were divided into ten pairings, with each pair playing home and away across 12 and 17 October 2023. The numbers in parentheses indicate the FIFA Men's World Ranking of July 2023.
Note: Bolded teams qualified for the second round.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|
|
The ten winners advanced to the second round of qualifying.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan  | 2–0 |  Mongolia | 1–0 | 1–0 |
Maldives  | 2–3 |  Bangladesh | 1–1 | 1–2 |
Singapore  | 3–1 |  Guam | 2–1 | 1–0 |
Yemen  | 4–1 |  Sri Lanka | 3–0 | 1–1 |
Myanmar  | 5–1 |  Macau | 5–1 | 0–0 |
Cambodia  | 0–1 |  Pakistan | 0–0 | 0–1 |
Chinese Taipei  | 7–0 |  East Timor | 4–0 | 3–0 |
| Indonesia | 12–0 |  Brunei | 6–0 | 6–0 |
Hong Kong  | 4–2 |  Bhutan | 4–0 | 0–2 |
Nepal  | 2–1 |  Laos | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Afghanistan | 1–0 | Mongolia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Mongolia | 0–1 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Afghanistan won 2–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
| Maldives | 1–1 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Bangladesh | 2–1 | Maldives |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Bangladesh won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Singapore won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
| Yemen | 3–0 | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Sri Lanka | 1–1 | Yemen |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Yemen won 4–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
| Myanmar | 5–1 | Macau |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Myanmar won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Pakistan won 1–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
| Chinese Taipei | 4–0 | East Timor |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| East Timor | 0–3 | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Chinese Taipei won 7–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Indonesia won 12–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Hong Kong won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
Nepal won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second round.
The first round doubled as preliminary qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. As originally planned, the top-ranked losing team would progress directly to the third round of Asian Cup qualifying, while the remainder would join the Northern Mariana Islands in the play-off round. [7] [8] However, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands were not included in the draw for the play-off round announced on 1 May 2024. This resulted in the top three losing teams (Bhutan, Maldives, and Laos) moving directly to the third round, and the remaining six teams entering the play-off round. [9]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhutan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 | Asian Cup qualifying third round |
| 2 | Maldives | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Laos | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Cambodia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 1 | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |
| 6 | Macau | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 | |
| 7 | Guam | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | Not participating in play-off round |
| 8 | Mongolia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 | Asian Cup qualifying play-off round |
| 9 | East Timor | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 | |
| 10 | Brunei | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0 |
There were 51 goals scored in 20 matches, for an average of 2.55 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Farshad Noor Jabar Sharza Foysal Ahmed Fahim Rakib Hossain Md Saad Uddin Lobzang Chogyal Chencho Gyeltshen Ange Kouamé Chen Ting-yang Ko Yu-ting Wu Yen-shu Yu Chia-huang Jason Cunliffe Shinichi Chan Egy Maulana Vikri Witan Sulaeman Bounphachan Bounkong Niki Torrão Aisam Ibrahim Hassan Nazeem Aung Kaung Mann Nay Moe Naing Soe Moe Kyaw Anjan Bista Manish Dangi Harun Hamid Shawal Anuar Jacob Mahler Christopher van Huizen Charitha Rathnayake Nasser Al-Gahwashi Ahmed Maher 1 own goal
Tenzin Norbu (against Hong Kong)This page provides the summaries of the AFC first round matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
This page provides the summaries of the AFC second round matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
This page provides the summaries of the AFC first round matches for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.
This page provides the summaries of the AFC second round matches for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.
The first round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 12 to 23 March 2015.
The second round of AFC matches for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 24 May 2015 to 29 March 2016.
The play-off round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played from 2 June to 11 October 2016.
The 2017 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 16 May to 4 November 2017. A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2017 AFC Cup.
The 2018 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs were played from 22 January to 20 February 2018. A total of 13 teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide five of the 36 places in the group stage of the 2018 AFC Cup.
The 2018 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 7 May to 27 October 2018. A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2018 AFC Cup.
The 2019 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 17 June to 4 November 2019. A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2019 AFC Cup.
The 2019 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs were played from 5 February to 13 March 2019. A total of 11 teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide four of the 36 places in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Cup.
The AFC first round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, which also served as the first round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification, was played from 6 to 11 June 2019.
The AFC second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, which also served as the second round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification, was played from 5 September 2019 to 15 June 2021.
The third round of AFC matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was played from 2 September 2021 to 29 March 2022.
The 2020 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs were played from 21 January to 26 February 2020, before the remaining matches were suspended, and eventually cancelled by the AFC on 10 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the original competition format, a total of 19 teams would compete in the qualifying play-offs to decide seven of the 36 places in the group stage of the 2020 AFC Cup.
The play-off round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played between 7 and 12 October 2021. It was originally scheduled for 3–8 September, 13 October and 17 November 2020, but the AFC changed the dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
The second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualification, which also served as the second round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification, began on 16 November 2023 and was completed on 11 June 2024.
The play-off round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played between 5 and 10 September 2024.
The 2023–24 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 12 February to 5 May 2024. A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2023–24 AFC Cup.
