The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive committee has approved the qualification format for the continent’s road to the 2026 World Cup to accommodate the eight direct spots and a single intercontinental play-off slot allocated to the AFC by Fifa following the expansion of the finals to 48 teams.
The AFC earned 4.5 slots for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The new qualification format has been established after several consultation and dialogue sessions with key stakeholders.
It was decided that the 2026 World Cup qualification tournament will comprise four rounds.
The first preliminary qualification round will involve teams ranked 26 to 47 (in the AFC rankings).
These 22 teams will…
