2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

Last updated
2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round
Tournament details
Dates25 March 2025 – 31 March 2026
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)
← 2023
2031 →

The third round [note 1] of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification will be played from 25 March 2025 to 31 March 2026. [1]

Contents

Format

A total of 24 teams (3 best ranked losing teams from the first round + 18 third and fourth-placed teams from the second round + 3 winners from the play-off round) will participate in the third round to compete for the final six slots in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. [2]

The 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. Only the group winners of each group will qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, where they will join the 18 teams which qualified directly from the second round. [1]

Qualified teams

Best-ranked losing teams from the first round:

Teams finishing third or fourth in their respective second round groups:

Play-off round winners:

Seeding

The draw was held on 9 December 2024 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, [7] at 15:00 (UTC+8). The teams were drawn into six groups of four teams each, with the seeding based on the November 2024 FIFA World Rankings.

FIFA Rankings as of 28 November 2024 [8]
Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
  1. Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg  Syria (95)
  2. Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand (97)
  3. Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan (104)
  4. Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon (112)
  5. Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam (116)
  6. Flag of India.svg  India (127)
  1. Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia (132)
  2. Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan (143)
  3. Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines (149)
  4. Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan (155)
  5. Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong (156)
  6. Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen (158)
  1. Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore (161)
  2. Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives (162)
  3. Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei (165)
  4. Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar (167)
  5. Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal (175)
  6. Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan (182)
  1. Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei (184)
  2. Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh (185)
  3. Flag of Laos.svg  Laos (186)
  4. Flag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste (196)
  5. Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan (198)
  6. Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka (200)

Schedule

The schedule of each matchday is as follows. [9] [10]

MatchdayDates
Matchday 125 March 2025
Matchday 210 June 2025
Matchday 39 October 2025
Matchday 414 October 2025
Matchday 518 November 2025
Matchday 631 March 2026

Groups

The winner of each group will qualify for the final tournament, joining the 18 teams that qualified directly (including the host).

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers will be applied in the following order (Regulations Article 7.3): [11]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying criteria 1 to 3, a subset of teams is still tied, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they meet in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of Tajikistan.svg Flag of the Philippines.svg Flag of Maldives.svg Flag of East Timor.svg
1Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 00000000 2027 AFC Asian Cup — 31 Mar '26 9 Oct 25 Mar
2Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 00000000 10 Jun — 25 Mar 14 Oct
3Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 00000000 14 Oct 18 Nov — 31 Mar '26
4Flag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste 00000000 18 Nov 9 Oct 10 Jun —
First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Tajikistan  Flag of Tajikistan.svgvFlag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste
Pamir Stadium , Dushanbe
Philippines  Flag of the Philippines.svgvFlag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
New Clark City Stadium, Capas
Timor-Leste  Flag of East Timor.svgvFlag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
[note 3]
Philippines  Flag of the Philippines.svgvFlag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Timor-Leste  Flag of East Timor.svgvFlag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Tajikistan  Flag of Tajikistan.svgvFlag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
Philippines  Flag of the Philippines.svgvFlag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste
Maldives  Flag of Maldives.svgvFlag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Timor-Leste  Flag of East Timor.svgvFlag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Maldives  Flag of Maldives.svgvFlag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Tajikistan  Flag of Tajikistan.svgvFlag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Maldives  Flag of Maldives.svgvFlag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste

Group B

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of Lebanon.svg Flag of Yemen.svg Flag of Bhutan.svg Flag of Brunei.svg
1Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon 00000000 2027 AFC Asian Cup — 31 Mar '26 9 Oct 25 Mar
2Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen 00000000 10 Jun — 18 Nov 14 Oct
3Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan 00000000 14 Oct 25 Mar — 31 Mar '26
4Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei 00000000 18 Nov 9 Oct 10 Jun —
First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Bhutan  Flag of Bhutan.svgvFlag of Yemen.svg  Yemen
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu
Lebanon  Flag of Lebanon.svgvFlag of Brunei.svg  Brunei
Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha (Qatar) [note 4]
Brunei  Flag of Brunei.svgvFlag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan
Yemen  Flag of Yemen.svgvFlag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon
[note 5]
Brunei  Flag of Brunei.svgvFlag of Yemen.svg  Yemen
Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan
Lebanon  Flag of Lebanon.svgvFlag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
[note 4]
Yemen  Flag of Yemen.svgvFlag of Brunei.svg  Brunei
[note 5]
Bhutan  Flag of Bhutan.svgvFlag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu
Brunei  Flag of Brunei.svgvFlag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon
Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan
Yemen  Flag of Yemen.svgvFlag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
[note 5]
Lebanon  Flag of Lebanon.svgvFlag of Yemen.svg  Yemen
[note 4]
Bhutan  Flag of Bhutan.svgvFlag of Brunei.svg  Brunei
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Group C

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of India.svg Flag of Hong Kong.svg Flag of Singapore.svg Flag of Bangladesh.svg
1Flag of India.svg  India 00000000 2027 AFC Asian Cup — 31 Mar '26 9 Oct 25 Mar
2Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 00000000 10 Jun — 18 Nov 14 Oct
3Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 00000000 14 Oct 25 Mar — 31 Mar '26
4Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 00000000 18 Nov 9 Oct 10 Jun —
First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Singapore  Flag of Singapore.svgvFlag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
National Stadium, Kallang
India  Flag of India.svgvFlag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong
Bangladesh  Flag of Bangladesh.svgvFlag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
National Stadium, Dhaka
Hong Kong  Flag of Hong Kong.svgvFlag of India.svg  India
Kai Tak Sports Park, Kowloon
Bangladesh  Flag of Bangladesh.svgvFlag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
National Stadium, Dhaka
India  Flag of India.svgvFlag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Hong Kong  Flag of Hong Kong.svgvFlag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Singapore  Flag of Singapore.svgvFlag of India.svg  India
Bangladesh  Flag of Bangladesh.svgvFlag of India.svg  India
Hong Kong  Flag of Hong Kong.svgvFlag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
India  Flag of India.svgvFlag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
Singapore  Flag of Singapore.svgvFlag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh

Group D

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of Thailand.svg Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg Flag of Sri Lanka.svg
1Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 00000000 2027 AFC Asian Cup — 31 Mar '26 9 Oct 25 Mar
2Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan 00000000 10 Jun — 18 Nov 14 Oct
3Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei 00000000 14 Oct 25 Mar — 31 Mar '26
4Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 00000000 18 Nov 9 Oct 10 Jun —
First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Chinese Taipei  Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svgvFlag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
National Stadium, Kaohsiung
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svgvFlag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Sri Lanka  Flag of Sri Lanka.svgvFlag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei
Colombo Racecourse, Colombo
Turkmenistan  Flag of Turkmenistan.svgvFlag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Ashgabat Stadium, Ashgabat
Sri Lanka  Flag of Sri Lanka.svgvFlag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
Colombo Racecourse, Colombo
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svgvFlag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Turkmenistan  Flag of Turkmenistan.svgvFlag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Ashgabat Stadium, Ashgabat
Chinese Taipei  Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svgvFlag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei
Sri Lanka  Flag of Sri Lanka.svgvFlag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Colombo Racecourse, Colombo
Turkmenistan  Flag of Turkmenistan.svgvFlag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei
Ashgabat Stadium, Ashgabat
Thailand  Flag of Thailand.svgvFlag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
Chinese Taipei  Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svgvFlag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei

Group E

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg Flag of Myanmar.svg Flag of Pakistan.svg
1Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg  Syria 00000000 2027 AFC Asian Cup — 31 Mar '26 9 Oct 25 Mar
2Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan 00000000 10 Jun — 18 Nov 14 Oct
3Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar 00000000 14 Oct 25 Mar — 31 Mar '26
4Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 00000000 18 Nov 9 Oct 10 Jun —
First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Myanmar  Flag of Myanmar.svgvFlag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan
Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon
Syria  Flag of the Syrian revolution.svgvFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, Hofuf (Saudi Arabia) [note 6]
Pakistan  Flag of Pakistan.svgvFlag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad
Afghanistan  Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svgvFlag of the Syrian revolution.svg  Syria
[note 7]
Pakistan  Flag of Pakistan.svgvFlag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan
Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad
Syria  Flag of the Syrian revolution.svgvFlag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
[note 6]
Afghanistan  Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svgvFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
[note 7]
Myanmar  Flag of Myanmar.svgvFlag of the Syrian revolution.svg  Syria
Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon
Pakistan  Flag of Pakistan.svgvFlag of the Syrian revolution.svg  Syria
Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad
Afghanistan  Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svgvFlag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
[note 7]
Syria  Flag of the Syrian revolution.svgvFlag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan
[note 6]
Myanmar  Flag of Myanmar.svgvFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon

Group F

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of Vietnam.svg Flag of Malaysia.svg Flag of Nepal.svg Flag of Laos.svg
1Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 00000000 2027 AFC Asian Cup — 31 Mar '26 9 Oct 25 Mar
2Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 00000000 10 Jun — 18 Nov 14 Oct
3Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 00000000 14 Oct 25 Mar — 31 Mar '26
4Flag of Laos.svg  Laos 00000000 18 Nov 9 Oct 10 Jun —
First match(es) will be played: 25 March 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Vietnam  Flag of Vietnam.svgvFlag of Laos.svg  Laos
Gò Đậu Stadium, Thủ Dầu Một
Referee: Yahya Ali Almulla (United Arab Emirates)
Malaysia  Flag of Malaysia.svgvFlag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri
Laos  Flag of Laos.svgvFlag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane
Malaysia  Flag of Malaysia.svgvFlag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Laos  Flag of Laos.svgvFlag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
Vietnam  Flag of Vietnam.svgvFlag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
Malaysia  Flag of Malaysia.svgvFlag of Laos.svg  Laos
Nepal    Flag of Nepal.svgvFlag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Laos  Flag of Laos.svgvFlag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Nepal    Flag of Nepal.svgvFlag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
Vietnam  Flag of Vietnam.svgvFlag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
Nepal    Flag of Nepal.svgvFlag of Laos.svg  Laos

Notes

  1. ↑ Referred as the final round
  2. ↑ FIFA suspended Pakistan from all football activities on 6 February 2025 due to failing to adopt a version of the PFF constitution that had been approved by FIFA and AFC. [3] [4] The PFF voted to approve the constitutional changes on 27 February, and the suspension was lifted on 2 March. [5] [6]
  3. 1 2 3 Timor-Leste will play their home games outside the country, due to the National Stadium in Dili failing to meet FIFA standards.
  4. 1 2 3 Lebanon will be required to play all their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict.
  5. 1 2 3 Yemen will be required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Yemeni civil war.
  6. 1 2 3 Syria played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Syrian civil war.
  7. 1 2 3 Afghanistan played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Afghan conflict.

References

  1. 1 2 "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. ↑ "Asia's pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup™ 2027 confirmed". the-AFC. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  3. ↑ "FIFA suspends the Congolese Football Association and the Pakistan Football Federation". FIFA. 6 February 2025.
  4. ↑ Lakhani, Faizan. "Pakistan ruled out of AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers due to Fifa suspension". thenews.com.pk. The News International. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Pakistan soccer approves steps wanted by FIFA to lift international suspension". Associated Press. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  6. ↑ Grafström, Mattias. "Lifting of the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)" (PDF). digitalhub.fifa.com. FIFA. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "Asian Football Calendar (December 2024 – November 2025)". The AFC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "FIFA Men's World Ranking – November 2024". fifa.com. FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  9. ↑ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 - Jun 2025)" (PDF). AFC.
  10. ↑ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 - Jun 2026)" (PDF). AFC.
  11. ↑ "AFC Asian Cup 2027 Saudi Arabia Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 9 August 2024. p. 25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.