2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

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: Teams finishing third or fourth in their respective second round groups: Play-off round winners: ==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. The national teams which qualified are presented in bold. ==Schedule==

The schedule of each matchday is as follows. ==Rules==

The winner of each group will qualify for the final tournament, joining the 18 teams that qualified directly (including the host). ; ==Groups==

Group A ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group B ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group C ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group D ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group E ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group F ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ==Goalscorers==