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The third round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification will be played from 25 March 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Format

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.

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.

Qualified teams

Best-ranked losing teams from the first round:

•  Bhutan
•  Laos
•  Maldives

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

•  Afghanistan
•  Bangladesh
•  Chinese Taipei
•  Hong Kong
•  India
•  Lebanon
•  Malaysia
•  Myanmar
•    Nepal
•  Pakistan
•  Philippines
•  Singapore
•  Syria
•  Tajikistan
•  Thailand
•  Turkmenistan
•  Vietnam
•  Yemen

Play-off round winners:

•  Brunei
•  East Timor
•  Sri Lanka

Seeding

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

Schedule

The schedule of each matchday is as follows.

Groups

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):

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.

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Tajikistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2027 AFC Asian Cup		—	31 Mar '26	9 Oct	25 Mar
2	Philippines	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			10 Jun	—	18 Nov	14 Oct
3	Maldives	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	25 Mar	—	31 Mar '26
4	East Timor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			18 Nov	9 Oct	10 Jun	—

Tajikistan	v	East Timor

Maldives	v	Philippines

East Timor	v	Maldives

Philippines	v	Tajikistan

East Timor	v	Philippines

Maldives	v	Tajikistan

Philippines	v	East Timor

Tajikistan	v	Maldives

East Timor	v	Tajikistan

Philippines	v	Maldives

Tajikistan	v	Philippines

Maldives	v	East Timor

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Lebanon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2027 AFC Asian Cup		—	31 Mar '26	9 Oct	25 Mar
2	Yemen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			10 Jun	—	18 Nov	14 Oct
3	Bhutan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	25 Mar	—	31 Mar '26
4	Brunei	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			18 Nov	9 Oct	10 Jun	—

Lebanon	v	Brunei

Bhutan	v	Yemen

Brunei	v	Bhutan

Yemen	v	Lebanon

Brunei	v	Yemen

Bhutan	v	Lebanon

Yemen	v	Brunei

Lebanon	v	Bhutan

Brunei	v	Lebanon

Yemen	v	Bhutan

Lebanon	v	Yemen

Bhutan	v	Brunei

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	India	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2027 AFC Asian Cup		—	31 Mar '26	9 Oct	25 Mar
2	Hong Kong	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			10 Jun	—	18 Nov	14 Oct
3	Singapore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	25 Mar	—	31 Mar '26
4	Bangladesh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			18 Nov	9 Oct	10 Jun	—

India	v	Bangladesh

Singapore	v	Hong Kong

Bangladesh	v	Singapore

Hong Kong	v	India

Bangladesh	v	Hong Kong

India	v	Singapore

Hong Kong	v	Bangladesh

Singapore	v	India

Bangladesh	v	India

Hong Kong	v	Singapore

India	v	Hong Kong

Singapore	v	Bangladesh

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Thailand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2027 AFC Asian Cup		—	31 Mar '26	9 Oct	25 Mar
2	Turkmenistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			10 Jun	—	18 Nov	14 Oct
3	Chinese Taipei	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	25 Mar	—	31 Mar '26
4	Sri Lanka	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			18 Nov	9 Oct	10 Jun	—

Thailand	v	Sri Lanka

Chinese Taipei	v	Turkmenistan

Sri Lanka	v	Chinese Taipei

Turkmenistan	v	Thailand

Sri Lanka	v	Turkmenistan

Chinese Taipei	v	Thailand

Turkmenistan	v	Sri Lanka

Thailand	v	Chinese Taipei

Sri Lanka	v	Thailand

Turkmenistan	v	Chinese Taipei

Thailand	v	Turkmenistan

Chinese Taipei	v	Sri Lanka

Group E

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Syria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2027 AFC Asian Cup		—	31 Mar '26	9 Oct	25 Mar
2	Afghanistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			10 Jun	—	18 Nov	14 Oct
3	Myanmar	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	25 Mar	—	31 Mar '26
4	Pakistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			18 Nov	9 Oct	10 Jun	—

Syria	v	Pakistan

Myanmar	v	Afghanistan

Pakistan	v	Myanmar

Afghanistan	v	Syria

Pakistan	v	Afghanistan

Myanmar	v	Syria

Afghanistan	v	Pakistan

Syria	v	Myanmar

Pakistan	v	Syria

Afghanistan	v	Myanmar

Syria	v	Afghanistan

Myanmar	v	Pakistan

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Vietnam	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2027 AFC Asian Cup		—	31 Mar '26	9 Oct	25 Mar
2	Malaysia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			10 Jun	—	18 Nov	14 Oct
3	Nepal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			14 Oct	25 Mar	—	31 Mar '26
4	Laos	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			18 Nov	10 Jun	9 Oct	—

Vietnam	v	Laos

Nepal	v	Malaysia

Laos	v	Nepal

Malaysia	v	Vietnam

Laos	v	Malaysia

Vietnam	v	Nepal

Malaysia	v	Laos

Nepal	v	Vietnam

Laos	v	Vietnam

Malaysia	v	Nepal

Vietnam	v	Malaysia

Nepal	v	Laos

Notes

1. ^ Lebanon will be required to play all their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.
2. ^ Yemen will be required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Yemeni civil war.
3. ^ Syria will be required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Syrian civil war.
4. ^ Afghanistan will be required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Afghan conflict.

References

1. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
2. "Asian Football Calendar (December 2024 – November 2025)". The AFC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
3. "FIFA Men's World Ranking – November 2024". fifa.com. FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
4. "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 - Jun 2025)" (PDF). AFC.
5. "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 - Jun 2026)" (PDF). AFC.
6. "AFC Asian Cup 2027 Saudi Arabia Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 9 August 2024. p. 25.

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