AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

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AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
AFC Asian Qualifiers.png
Founded1956
RegionAsia and Australia (AFC)
Number of teams46 (currently)
47 (overall)
Qualifier for AFC Asian Cup
Website Official website
Soccerball current event.svg 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

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.

Contents

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
Flag of Hong Kong 1955.svg
1956
Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg
1960
Flag of Israel.svg
1964
State Flag of Iran (1964).svg
1968
Flag of Thailand.svg
1972
State Flag of Iran (1964).svg
1976
Flag of Kuwait.svg
1980
Flag of Singapore.svg
1984
Flag of Qatar.svg
1988
Flag of Japan.svg
1992
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
1996
Flag of Lebanon.svg
2000
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
2004
Flag of Indonesia.svg
Flag of Malaysia.svg
Flag of Thailand.svg
Flag of Vietnam.svg
2007
Flag of Qatar.svg
2011
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
2015
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
2019
Flag of Qatar.svg
2023
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg
2027
Total entrants19181819263131302422354243252720464647
Played at least one match61041413151721202033242445TBA
Qualified via qualification2313539886101014121011232323
Qualified without playing2 [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 finalists4444661010108121216161616242424
  1. 1 2 1 team qualified by walkover
  2. 1 2 2 teams qualified by walkover
  3. 1 2 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]

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
YearDebuting teamsSuccessor teamsRenamed teams
TeamsNo.CT
1956 Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia [upper-alpha 1] , Flag of Malaya.svg  Malaya [upper-alpha 2] , Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg  Philippines , Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Republic of China [upper-alpha 3] , Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea , Flag of South Vietnam.svg  South Vietnam [upper-alpha 4] 66
1960 Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg  Hong Kong [lower-alpha 1] , Flag of India.svg  India [lower-alpha 2] , State Flag of Iran (1925).svg  Iran [lower-alpha 2] , Flag of Israel.svg  Israel [lower-alpha 3] , Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan [lower-alpha 2] , Flag of Singapore (1946-1952).svg  Singapore [lower-alpha 2] 612
1964 Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand [lower-alpha 4] 113Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia [upper-alpha 2]
1968 Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg  Burma [lower-alpha 5] [upper-alpha 5] , Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia [lower-alpha 6] , Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan [lower-alpha 5] 316
1972 Flag of Bahrain (1932 to 1972).svg  Bahrain , Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei , Flag of Ceylon 1951-1972.svg  Ceylon [lower-alpha 7] [upper-alpha 6] , Flag of Iraq (1963-1991); Flag of Syria (1963-1972).svg  Iraq , Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan , Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait [lower-alpha 8] , Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon , Flag of Syria.svg  Syria 824Flag of the Khmer Republic.svg  Khmer Republic [upper-alpha 1]
1976 Flag of Afghanistan (1974-1978).svg  Afghanistan [lower-alpha 9] , Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China , Flag of North Korea (1948-1992).svg  North Korea , Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar , Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 529
1980 Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh [lower-alpha 10] , Flag of Portugal.svg  Macau , Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 332Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka [upper-alpha 6]
1984 Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal [lower-alpha 11] , Flag of North Yemen.svg  North Yemen [upper-alpha 7] , Old Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 335
1988 Flag of South Yemen.svg  South Yemen [lower-alpha 12] 136
1992 036Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei [upper-alpha 3]
1996 Flag of Guam.svg  Guam , Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan , Flag of Kyrgyzstan (1992-2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan , Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives [lower-alpha 13] , Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan , Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan , Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 743Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen [upper-alpha 7]
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam [upper-alpha 4]
Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg  Myanmar [upper-alpha 5]
2000 Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan , Flag of Laos.svg  Laos [lower-alpha 11] , Flag of Mongolia (1992-2011).svg  Mongolia , Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine 447Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia [upper-alpha 1]
2004 Flag of East Timor.svg  East Timor 148
2007 Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 149
2011 049
2015 049
2019 049
2023 049
2027 Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands.svg  Northern Mariana Islands 150
Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification
  1. Qualified automatically for the 1956 Asian Cup as host.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Cambodia was renamed as Khmer Republic in the 1972 qualification, then entered the 1980 qualification as Flag of Democratic Kampuchea.svg  Democratic Kampuchea but withdrew, and in the 2000 qualification again using the name Cambodia
  2. 1 2 Malaya was succeeded by Malaysia from the 1964 qualification.
  3. 1 2 The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1992 qualification.
  4. 1 2 South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1996 qualification.
  5. 1 2 Burma was renamed as Myanmar from the 1996 qualification.
  6. 1 2 Ceylon was renamed as Sri Lanka from the 1980 qualification.
  7. 1 2 North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.

Team records

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.

RankTeamPartPldWDLGFGAGDPoints
1Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 12695210720937+172166
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 12604111817826+152134
3Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 11584171013438+96130
4Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 1356416918624+162129
5Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 1581381528155107+48129
6Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 1156408815534+121128
7Flag of Syria.svg  Syria 136738111813467+67125
8Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 848396315221+131123
9Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 10613671814060+80115
10Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan 116433151611352+61114
11Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain 11653492210060+40111
12Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 844354513819+119109
13Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq 9493310610236+66109
14Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 116130171413458+76107
15Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 1779301534144130+14105
16Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 847335911239+73104
17Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 1790272340115131–16104
18Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 126327112511391+2292
19Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea 7452311117048+2280
20Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 136421123196103–775
21Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon 8522110217471+373
22Flag of India.svg  India 116319113373106–3368
23Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 137419114481141–6068
24Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 42621237013+5765
25Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen 107017134075139–6464
26Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan 537185145853+559
27Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine 540176177846+3257
28Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 538167155756+155
29Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar 6451652460120–6053
30Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan 534155145850+850
31Flag of Chinese Taipei (Olympics; 1986-2010).svg  Chinese Taipei 10561433972148–7645
32Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia 6471253044140–9641
33Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 9451172745116–7140
34Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan 6416102534109–7528
35Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 9535133733140–10728
36Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 645833440134–9427
37Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 842813330132–10225
38Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 42071122041–2122
39Flag of Macau.svg  Macau 72452172255–3317
40Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan 432522522166–14417
41Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 1139443123105–8216
42Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 739423314158–14414
43Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 2840499012
44Flag of Laos.svg  Laos 41933131362–4912
45Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 16321108+211
46Flag of Guam.svg  Guam 526312413122–10910
47Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei 6152112659–537
48Flag of South Yemen.svg  South Yemen 1301214–31
49Flag of East Timor.svg  East Timor 3180018678–720
50Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands.svg  Northern Mariana Islands 000000000

Teams that have never qualified for the finals tournament and droughts

See also

Notes

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

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "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.