The AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers draw was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lampur yesterday. The 24 competing teams were divided into six groups. With the new rules for qualifiers coming in, only the group winners will advance to the Finals in Saudi Arabia 2027.
Group A saw top seeds Tajikistan drawn with Philippines, Maldives and Timor-Leste while Lebanon will face Yemen, Bhutan and Brunei Darussalam in Group B.
Group C will see India, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Bangladesh vying for the sole ticket to the Finals while Thailand, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka are the Group D cast.
Syria’s bid to advance to the Finals from Group E will be challenged by Afghanistan, Myanmar and Pakistan while the four sides drawn in Group F are Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal and Laos.
The Qualifiers will kick on March 25, 2025 with the teams will play on a home and away basis.
The six group winners will join the 18 teams. These teams are competing in the ongoing AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26™ at Saudi Arabia 2027.
Draw Result
- Group A: Tajikistan, Philippines, Maldives, Timor-Leste.
- Group B: Lebanon, Yemen, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam.
- Group C: India, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Bangladesh.
- Group D: Thailand, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka.
- Group E: Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan.
- Group F: Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Laos.
Matchdays
The matches will be played across 6 matches, scheduled in 2025 and 2026. The fixtures will start from March 25th 2025, followed by 10th June. The matches will come frequently towards the end of the year. There are three matchdays on 9th and 14th October. They are followed by another on 18th November. Finally, the final matchday fixture will be played on 31st March in 2026.
Thoughts and Insights
Group-A sees Tajikistan challenging Philippines for the top spot. Interestingly, Philippines hosted the Tajiks recently in a friendly. The Island Nation won on penalties. Whereas in Group-B, Lenanon vs Yemen will be the key fixture to keep an eye on.
Group-C sees India taking on Hong Kong and neighbors Bangladesh alongside Singapore. The Blue Tigers got the better of Hong Kong in their last AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as well in 2022, with a dominating scoreline of 4-0, enroute an unbeaten qualifiers campaign. It remains to be seen whether India can repeat the dominance in the qualifiers this time around.
Thailand will be predominantly challenged by Turkemistan for the top spot in Group-E whereas Syria will be fighting their own battle in Group-E. The final group will see heavy encounters between Vietnam and Malaysia – with both being favourites for the top-spot.
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