2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round
Tournament details
Dates25 March 2025 – 31 March 2026
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played48
Goals scored139 (2.9 per match)
Attendance356,462 (7,426 per match)
Top scorer(s)Philippines Bjørn Martin Kristensen
(8 goals)
← 2023
2031 →
All statistics correct as of 14 October 2025.

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

Format

[edit]

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.[3]

Qualified teams

[edit]

Best-ranked losing teams from the first round:

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

Play-off round winners:

Seeding

[edit]

The draw was held on 9 December 2024 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,[8] 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.

The national teams which qualified are presented in bold.

FIFA Rankings as of 28 November 2024[9]
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
  1.  Syria (95)
  2.  Thailand (97)
  3.  Tajikistan (104)
  4.  Lebanon (112)
  5.  Vietnam (116)
  6.  India (127)
  1.  Malaysia (132)
  2.  Turkmenistan (143)
  3.  Philippines (149)
  4.  Afghanistan (155)
  5.  Hong Kong (156)
  6.  Yemen (158)
  1.  Singapore (161)
  2.  Maldives (162)
  3.  Chinese Taipei (165)
  4.  Myanmar (167)
  5.    Nepal (175)
  6.  Bhutan (182)
  1.  Brunei (184)
  2.  Bangladesh (185)
  3.  Laos (186)
  4.  Timor-Leste (196)
  5.  Pakistan (198)
  6.  Sri Lanka (200)

Schedule

[edit]

The schedule of each matchday is as follows.[10][11]

Matchday Dates
Matchday 1 25 March 2025
Matchday 2 10 June 2025
Matchday 3 9 October 2025
Matchday 4 14 October 2025
Matchday 5 18 November 2025
Matchday 6 31 March 2026

Rules

[edit]

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):[12]

  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.

Groups

[edit]

Group A

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Philippines Tajikistan Timor-Leste Maldives
1  Philippines 4 3 1 0 13 5 +8 10 2027 AFC Asian Cup 2–2 3–1 4–1
2  Tajikistan 4 3 1 0 8 2 +6 10 31 Mar 1–0 2–0
3  Timor-Leste (E) 4 1 0 3 3 8 −5 3 1–4 18 Nov 1–0
4  Maldives (E) 4 0 0 4 1 10 −9 0 18 Nov 0–3 31 Mar
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Tajikistan 1–0 Timor-Leste
Hanonov 3' Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 8,520
Referee: Seyedvahid Kazemi (Iran)
Philippines 4–1 Maldives
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,334
Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)
Timor-Leste 1–0 Maldives
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,048
Referee: Songkran Bunmeekiart (Thailand)
Philippines 2–2 Tajikistan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 10,854
Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)
Timor-Leste 1–4 Philippines
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,356
Referee: Yudi Nurcahya (Indonesia)
Tajikistan 2–0 Maldives
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,250
Referee: Zayniddin Alimov (Kyrgyzstan)
Philippines 3–1 Timor-Leste
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 8,753
Referee: Torphong Somsing (Thailand)
Maldives 0–3 Tajikistan
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,120
Timor-Leste v Tajikistan
Maldives v Philippines
Tajikistan v Philippines
Maldives v Timor-Leste

Group B

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Lebanon Yemen Brunei Bhutan
1  Lebanon 4 3 1 0 11 0 +11 10 2027 AFC Asian Cup 31 Mar 5–0 2–0
2  Yemen 4 2 2 0 11 0 +11 8 0–0 9–0 18 Nov
3  Brunei (E) 4 1 0 3 2 17 −15 3 18 Nov 0–2 2–1
4  Bhutan (E) 4 0 1 3 1 8 −7 1 0–4 0–0 31 Mar
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Bhutan 0–0 Yemen
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,700
Lebanon 5–0 Brunei
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 282
Referee: Venkatesh Ramachandran (India)
Brunei 2–1 Bhutan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,158
Referee: Mongkolchai Pechsri (Thailand)
Yemen 0–0 Lebanon
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,512
Referee: Mahmood Al-Majarafi (Oman)
Brunei 0–2 Yemen
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,529
Referee: Ngô Duy Lân (Vietnam)
Lebanon 2–0 Bhutan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 366
Referee: Morteza Mansourian (Iran)
Bhutan 0–4 Lebanon
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 397
Referee: Zhang Lei (China)
Yemen 9–0 Brunei
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 755
Referee: Meder Tayçiev (Kyrgyzstan)
Brunei v Lebanon
Yemen v Bhutan
Lebanon v Yemen
Bhutan v Brunei

Group C

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Hong Kong Singapore Bangladesh India
1  Hong Kong 4 2 2 0 6 4 +2 8 2027 AFC Asian Cup 18 Nov 1–1 1–0
2  Singapore 4 2 2 0 5 3 +2 8 0–0 31 Mar 1–1
3  Bangladesh (E) 4 0 2 2 5 7 −2 2 3–4 1–2 18 Nov
4  India (E) 4 0 2 2 2 4 −2 2 31 Mar 1–2 0–0
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Singapore 0–0 Hong Kong
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 8,064
Referee: Chae Sang-hyeop (South Korea)
India 0–0 Bangladesh
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 14,952
Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)
Hong Kong 1–0 India
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 42,570
Referee: Ahmad Alaeddin (Lebanon)
Bangladesh 1–2 Singapore
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 21,317
Referee: Clifford Daypuyat (Philippines)
Singapore 1–1 India
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 13,232
Referee: Shen Yinhao (China)
Bangladesh 3–4 Hong Kong
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 22,343
Referee: Saud Al Samhan (Kuwait)
Hong Kong 1–1 Bangladesh
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 45,489
Referee: Hiroki Kasahara (Japan)
India 1–2 Singapore
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,036
Referee: Mohamad Issa (Lebanon)
Hong Kong v Singapore
Bangladesh v India
India v Hong Kong
Singapore v Bangladesh

Group D

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Turkmenistan Thailand Sri Lanka Chinese Taipei
1  Turkmenistan 4 3 0 1 7 4 +3 9[a] 2027 AFC Asian Cup 3–1 2–1 18 Nov
2  Thailand 4 3 0 1 10 4 +6 9[a] 31 Mar 1–0 2–0
3  Sri Lanka 4 2 0 2 5 4 +1 6 1–0 18 Nov 3–1
4  Chinese Taipei (E) 4 0 0 4 3 13 −10 0 1–2 1–6 31 Mar
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Turkmenistan 3, Thailand 0.
Chinese Taipei 1–2 Turkmenistan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,897
Referee: Abdulhadi Al-Ruaile (Qatar)
Thailand 1–0 Sri Lanka
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 17,207
Referee: Zhang Lei (China)
Sri Lanka 3–1 Chinese Taipei
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,710
Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)
Turkmenistan 3–1 Thailand
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 15,545
Referee: Ismaeel Habib Ali (Bahrain)
Sri Lanka 1–0 Turkmenistan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,440
Referee: Tam Ping Wun (Hong Kong)
Thailand 2–0 Chinese Taipei
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 13,970
Referee: Amir Arab Baraghi (Iran)
Chinese Taipei 1–6 Thailand
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 4,563
Referee: Omar Al Yaqoubi (Oman)
Turkmenistan 2–1 Sri Lanka
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Asker Nadjafaliyev (Uzbekistan)
Sri Lanka v Thailand
Turkmenistan v Chinese Taipei
Thailand v Turkmenistan
Chinese Taipei v Sri Lanka

Group E

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Syria Myanmar Afghanistan Pakistan
1  Syria (Q) 4 4 0 0 11 1 +10 12 2027 AFC Asian Cup 5–1 31 Mar 2–0
2  Myanmar (E) 4 2 0 2 4 9 −5 6 0–3 2–1 1–0
3  Afghanistan (E) 4 0 2 2 2 4 −2 2 0–1 18 Nov 1–1
4  Pakistan (E) 4 0 2 2 1 4 −3 2 18 Nov 31 Mar 0–0
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Myanmar 2–1 Afghanistan
 Report
Report (AFC)		 Popalzay 14'
Attendance: 6,500
Referee: Yahya Al-Balushi (Oman)
Syria 2–0 Pakistan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 1,217
Myanmar 1–0 Pakistan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: Zhang Lei (China)
Afghanistan 0–1 Syria
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 532
Referee: Yousif Saeed Hasan (Iraq)
Pakistan 0–0 Afghanistan
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,375
Referee: Mohammed Al-Shammari (Qatar)
Syria 5–1 Myanmar
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 198
Referee: Mohammad Mofeed (Jordan)
Myanmar 0–3 Syria
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 3,514
Referee: Tuan Yaasin Hanafiah (Malaysia)
Afghanistan 1–1 Pakistan
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 750
Referee: Abdullo Davlatov (Tajikistan)
Pakistan v Syria
Afghanistan v Myanmar
Syria v Afghanistan
Pakistan v Myanmar

Group F

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Malaysia Vietnam Laos Nepal
1  Malaysia 4 4 0 0 14 1 +13 12 2027 AFC Asian Cup 4–0 5–1 2–0
2  Vietnam 4 3 0 1 9 5 +4 9 31 Mar 5–0 3–1
3  Laos (E) 4 1 0 3 3 14 −11 3 0–3 18 Nov 2–1
4    Nepal (E) 4 0 0 4 2 8 −6 0 18 Nov 0–1 31 Mar
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Vietnam 5–0 Laos
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 11,068
Referee: Yahya Al-Mulla (United Arab Emirates)
Malaysia 2–0[note 10]   Nepal
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 7,895
Referee: Hiroki Kasahara (Japan)
Laos 2–1   Nepal
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,123
Referee: Nivon Robesh (Sri Lanka)
Malaysia 4–0[note 11] Vietnam
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 61,512
Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)
Laos 0–3 Malaysia
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 5,289
Referee: Wiwat Jumpao-on (Thailand)
Vietnam 3–1   Nepal
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 8,597
Referee: Choi Hyun-jai (South Korea)
Nepal   0–1 Vietnam
Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 6,870
Referee: Mohamed Khaled (Bahrain)
Malaysia 5–1 Laos
 Report
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 18,901
Referee: Ahmed Eisa Darwish (United Arab Emirates)
Nepal   v Malaysia
Report
Laos v Vietnam
Report
Vietnam v Malaysia
Report
Nepal   v Laos
Report

Goalscorers

[edit]

There have been 139 goals scored in 48 matches, for an average of 2.9 goals per match (as of 14 October 2025).

8 goals

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Notes

[edit]
  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.[4][5] The PFF voted to approve the constitutional changes on 27 February 2025, and the suspension was lifted on 2 March 2025.[6][7]
  3. ^ a b c Timor-Leste will play their home games outside the country, due to a lack of an available venue that meet FIFA standards.[13][14]
  4. ^ a b c Lebanon are required to play all their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict.
  5. ^ a b c Yemen are required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Yemeni civil war.
  6. ^ a b Bhutan are required to play their home matches at a neutral venue, due to the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu failing to meet AFC standards.
  7. ^ a b c Syria played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Syrian civil war.
  8. ^ a b c Afghanistan played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Afghan conflict.
  9. ^ a b Thủ Dầu Một was incorporated to Ho Chi Minh City in 1 July 2025.
  10. ^ On 26 September 2025, FIFA sanctioned the Football Association of Malaysia and seven players for using falsified eligibility documents.[15] One player, Hector Hevel played in the match against Nepal, but no ruling has yet been made concerning the outcome of the match.
  11. ^ On 26 September 2025, FIFA sanctioned the Football Association of Malaysia and seven players for using falsified eligibility documents.[16] The seven players all played in the match against Vietnam, but no ruling has yet been made concerning the outcome of the match.
  12. ^ Match time was previously 19:30, but due to rain in Ho Chi Minh City, it was delayed for 30 minutes
  13. ^ a b c Stadiums in Nepal do not meet AFC requirements, thus Nepal are required to play their home matches at a neutral venue.[17][18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". the-AFC.com. 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. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  4. ^ "FIFA suspends the Congolese Football Association and the Pakistan Football Federation". FIFA. 6 February 2025.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Pakistan soccer approves steps wanted by FIFA to lift international suspension". Associated Press. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  7. ^ Grafström, Mattias. "Lifting of the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)" (PDF). digitalhub.fifa.com. FIFA. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Asian Football Calendar (December 2024 – November 2025)". The AFC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  9. ^ "FIFA Men's World Ranking – November 2024". fifa.com. FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  10. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 - Jun 2025)" (PDF). AFC.
  11. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 - Jun 2026)" (PDF). AFC.
  12. ^ "AFC Asian Cup 2027 Saudi Arabia Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 9 August 2024. p. 25.
  13. ^ "Darwin hosts high-stakes international soccer match for the first time". ABC News. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Football Federation of Timor-Leste President discusses new stadium with Gianni Infantino". Inside FIFA. FIFA. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  15. ^ "FIFA sanctions Football Association of Malaysia and seven players". FIFA. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  16. ^ "FIFA sanctions Football Association of Malaysia and seven players". FIFA. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Nepal mượn sân Thống Nhất đá vòng loại Asian Cup". Vnexpress. 10 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Bukit Jalil to host Malaysia's 'away' clash with Nepal". NST Online. 16 September 2025.
[edit]