A total of 18
AFC member national teams entered the qualifying stage. The format is as follows: •
First round: The highest-ranked seven teams based on the
FIFA Women's World Rankings at the time of the draw received byes. Teams ranked in the top five –
Japan,
Australia,
North Korea,
China PR, and
South Korea – received byes to the final round, while teams ranked sixth and seventh –
Thailand and
Vietnam – received byes to the second round. The remaining 11 teams were drawn into two groups of four teams and one group of three teams, with the teams seeded according to their FIFA Rankings. In each group, teams played each other once at a centralised venue. The three group winners advanced to the second round. •
Second round: The five teams (two teams who entered this round and the three winners from the first round) played each other once at a centralised venue. The winner advanced to the final round. •
Final round: The six teams (five teams who entered this round and the winner from the second round) played each other once at a centralised venue. The top two teams qualified for the Olympic football tournament. The draw for the qualifiers was held on 4 December 2014 at the AFC House in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. ;Notes :1 Non-IOC member, ineligible for Olympics. ==Schedule==