2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round explained

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.^{[1] [2]}

Format

A total of 36 teams were drawn into nine groups of four to play home-and-away round-robin matches. They included the 26 teams which received byes to this round, and the 10 winners from the first round.^[3]

The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the third round and qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The third and fourth place teams advanced to the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualification.^[4]

Seeding

The draw for the second round was held on 27 July 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.^[5]

The seeding was based on the FIFA World Rankings of July 2023 (shown in parentheses below). The identities of the first round winners were not known at the time of the draw.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the third round of World Cup qualifying.

Teams whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.
Team moved to Pot 3 after the other Pot 4 teams had been drawn into groups; subsequently drawn at random from Pot 3.

Schedule

The match schedule was as follows.^[1]

Matchday	Date(s)
Matchday 1	16 November 2023
Matchday 2	21 November 2023
Matchday 3	21 March 2024
Matchday 4	26 March 2024
Matchday 5	6 June 2024
Matchday 6	11 June 2024

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Group D

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Group E

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Group F

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Group G

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Group H

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Group I

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Notes and References

1. Web site: AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2023 - Jul 2024). Asian Football Confederation. 29 August 2022. 28 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220928110300/https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-(Aug-2023---Jul-2024).pdf. dead.
2. Web site: AFC Competitions Calendar (Aug 2024 - Jul 2025). Asian Football Confederation. 29 August 2022. 8 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220808060613/https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-(Aug-2024---Jul-2025).pdf. dead.
3. Web site: Seedings revealed for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw . 26 July 2023 . AFC . en.
4. Web site: Asia's pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 confirmed. AFC. 1 August 2022.
5. Web site: Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers draw . AFC. 5 July 2023.