The first two rounds of qualification acted as part of the
Asian qualification for the
2026 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia, which received automatic qualification for the Asian Cup as host, also participated in the qualifiers to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The
Northern Mariana Islands, whose football association became the 47th full AFC member during the confederation's 30th Congress on 9 December 2020, was only eligible to enter the qualification tournament for the Asian Cup, but was ultimately excluded.
Qualified teams Singapore has qualified on merit for the first time, having only previously appeared in
1984 as hosts.
Iran extended their qualification record, having qualified 16 straight times for every edition since 1968.
Draw The draw was originally supposed to be held in
Riyadh on 11 April 2026, but was postponed amidst concerns over the
2026 Iran war. The draw has been rescheduled to take place in Riyadh on 9 May 2026 at 21:00 (
UTC+3) at the
At-Turaif District, Diriyah. == Group stage ==