The draw ceremony for the 2026 Asian World Cup qualifiers and the 2027 Saudi Asian Cup qualifiers was held in Kuala Lumpur. In the draw of the top 36, the national football team will eventually be in the same group as the winners of South Korea, Thailand, Singapore VS Guam, and the top two in the group will advance to the top 18.
The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. This will be the first time in history that 48 teams will participate in the World Cup. So the number of places in Asia has increased from the existing 4.5 to 8.5.
China ranks 1 1 in Asia, so it can directly enter the second stage of the top 36. In the end, China, as a second-rate team, was placed in Group C, which was the same as the winners of Korea, Thailand, Singapore/Guam. Among them, South Korea ranks 28th in the world and 4th in Asia; China ranks 80th in the world, and Asia11; Thailand ranks 1 13 in the world and 2 1 in Asia.
The Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup include four stages:
In the first qualifying stage, 65,438+00 AFC Champions League teams ranked lower in the world fought hard, playing two rounds at home and away to compete for the qualification to enter the qualifiers. The competition time is 20231October 10, 12, 17.
In the second stage, the top 36 entered the top 18, and the 36 teams participating in the lottery were divided into 9 groups, with 4 teams in each group to play home and away games. After this stage of competition, the top two teams in nine groups will enter the 18 final. This 18 team also directly advanced to the 2027 Asian Cup. The competition time at this stage is 165438+2023 10-June 2024.
In the third stage, the top teams in 18 were divided into three groups, with the top two teams directly advancing to the World Cup. In the second stage, the teams in 18 were divided into three groups, with 6 teams in each group playing home and away games. After this stage of competition, the top two teams in the three groups will directly get tickets for the World Cup! Third and fourth in three groups, team ***6 entered the fourth stage of the competition.
In the fourth stage, 6 teams went shopping for 2.5 votes. The six teams that advanced to the fourth stage were divided into two groups, with three teams in each group, to play a single round robin. The first place in the two groups won the World Cup tickets. The second of the two groups will play a play-off, and the winner and the teams from other continents will decide the final World Cup.