JAKARTA (15 June 2025) – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have confirmed the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as the Host Member Associations for the upcoming AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Playoffs.
Six teams, the third and fourth-placed sides from the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26, namely Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will be divided into two groups of three teams to do battle in a centralised format from October 8 to 14, 2025, with the group winners securing the two remaining automatic berths at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Subsequently, the runners-up from each group will face off in the two-legged AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Playoffs Knockout Stage on November 13 and 18, 2025, with the winner advancing to the FIFA Play-off Tournament.
The Official Draw is scheduled to be held on July 17, 2025.–www.the-afc.com
