2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

The third round^{[note 1]} of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification is played from 25 March 2025 to 31 March 2026.^[1]

2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – third round

Tournament details
Dates	25 March 2025 – 31 March 2026
Teams	24 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	48
Goals scored	139 (2.9 per match)
Attendance	356,462 (7,426 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Bjørn Martin Kristensen (8 goals)
← 2023 2031 → All statistics correct as of 14 October 2025.

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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^{[note 2]}
•  Philippines
•  Singapore
•  Syria
•  Tajikistan
•  Thailand
•  Turkmenistan
•  Vietnam
•  Yemen

Play-off round winners:

•  Brunei
•  Timor-Leste
•  Sri Lanka

Seeding

The draw was held on 9 December 2024 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,^[8] 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.

FIFA Rankings as of 28 November 2024^[9]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Syria (95)  Thailand (97)  Tajikistan (104)  Lebanon (112)  Vietnam (116)  India (127)	Malaysia (132)  Turkmenistan (143)  Philippines (149)  Afghanistan (155)  Hong Kong (156)  Yemen (158)	Singapore (161)  Maldives (162)  Chinese Taipei (165)  Myanmar (167)    Nepal (175)  Bhutan (182)	Brunei (184)  Bangladesh (185)  Laos (186)  Timor-Leste (196)  Pakistan (198)  Sri Lanka (200)

Schedule

The schedule of each matchday is as follows.^[10][11]

Matchday	Dates
Matchday 1	25 March 2025
Matchday 2	10 June 2025
Matchday 3	9 October 2025
Matchday 4	14 October 2025
Matchday 5	18 November 2025
Matchday 6	31 March 2026

Rules

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):^[12]

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.

Groups

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Philippines	4	3	1	0	13	5	+8	10	2027 AFC Asian Cup			2–2	3–1	4–1
2	Tajikistan	4	3	1	0	8	2	+6	10			31 Mar		1–0	2–0
3	Timor-Leste (E)	4	1	0	3	3	8	−5	3			1–4	18 Nov		1–0
4	Maldives (E)	4	0	0	4	1	10	−9	0			18 Nov	0–3	31 Mar

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

16:00 UTC+5

Tajikistan	1–0	Timor-Leste
Hanonov 3'	Report Report (AFC)

Republic Central Stadium, Dushanbe

Attendance: 8,520

Referee: Seyedvahid Kazemi (Iran)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:00 UTC+8

Philippines	4–1	Maldives
J. Tabinas 6' Kristensen 19' Schneider 77' Reyes 90+2'	Report Report (AFC)	Fasir 62'

New Clark City Stadium, Capas

Attendance: 3,334

Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

16:00 UTC+9:30

Timor-Leste	1–0	Maldives
João Pedro 45+1'	Report Report (AFC)

Territory Rugby League Stadium, Darwin (Australia)^{[note 3]}

Attendance: 1,048

Referee: Songkran Bunmeekiart (Thailand)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:00 UTC+8

Philippines	2–2	Tajikistan
Kristensen 28', 79'	Report Report (AFC)	Mabatshoyev 30' Umarbayev 42' (pen.)

New Clark City Stadium, Capas

Attendance: 10,854

Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)

---

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:00 UTC+9:30

Timor-Leste	1–4	Philippines
Freitas 47'	Report Report (AFC)	Kristensen 15', 31', 49', 56'

Territory Rugby League Stadium, Darwin (Australia)^{[note 3]}

Attendance: 1,356

Referee: Yudi Nurcahya (Indonesia)

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

18:00 UTC+5

Tajikistan	2–0	Maldives
Samiev 8' Mabatshoyev 30'	Report Report (AFC)

Hisor Central Stadium, Hisor

Attendance: 5,250

Referee: Zayniddin Alimov (Kyrgyzstan)

---

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

19:00 UTC+8

Philippines	3–1	Timor-Leste
J. Tabinas 46' Kristensen 70' Gayoso 90+1'	Report Report (AFC)	Rangel 45+1'

New Clark City Stadium, Capas

Attendance: 8,753

Referee: Torphong Somsing (Thailand)

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

15:30 UTC+5

Maldives	0–3	Tajikistan
	Report Report (AFC)	Safarov 4' Mabatshoyev 34', 78'

National Football Stadium, Malé

Attendance: 3,120

Referee: Mohanad Qasim Sarray (Iraq)

---

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

16:00 UTC+9:30

Timor-Leste	v	Tajikistan

Territory Rugby League Stadium, Darwin (Australia)^{[note 3]}

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

15:30 UTC+5

Maldives	v	Philippines

National Football Stadium, Malé

---

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+5

Tajikistan	v	Philippines

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+5

Maldives	v	Timor-Leste

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Lebanon	4	3	1	0	11	0	+11	10	2027 AFC Asian Cup			31 Mar	5–0	2–0
2	Yemen	4	2	2	0	11	0	+11	8			0–0		9–0	18 Nov
3	Brunei (E)	4	1	0	3	2	17	−15	3			18 Nov	0–2		2–1
4	Bhutan (E)	4	0	1	3	1	8	−7	1			0–4	0–0	31 Mar

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

18:00 UTC+6

Bhutan	0–0	Yemen
	Report Report (AFC)

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 4,700

Referee: Thoriq Alkatiri (Indonesia)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

21:30 UTC+3

Lebanon	5–0	Brunei
Fakhro 5', 28' Merheg 21' Chakroun 33' Haidar 90'	Report Report (AFC)

Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al-Wakrah (Qatar)^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 282

Referee: Venkatesh Ramachandran (India)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

20:15 UTC+8

Brunei	2–1	Bhutan
Nazirrudin 29' Chetrim 63' (o.g.)	Report Report (AFC)	Tshering 90+2'

Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan

Attendance: 3,158

Referee: Mongkolchai Pechsri (Thailand)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

20:30 UTC+3

Yemen	0–0	Lebanon
	Report Report (AFC)

Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Stadium, Sulaibikhat (Kuwait)^{[note 5]}

Attendance: 1,512

Referee: Mahmood Al-Majarafi (Oman)

---

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

16:00 UTC+8

Brunei	0–2	Yemen
	Report Report (AFC)	Al-Matari 24' Al-Gahwashi 36'

Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan

Attendance: 1,529

Referee: Ngô Duy Lân (Vietnam)

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:00 UTC+3

Lebanon	2–0	Bhutan
Shour 63' Ayoub 90+4'	Report Report (AFC)

Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha (Qatar)^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 366

Referee: Morteza Mansourian (Iran)

---

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

19:00 UTC+3

Bhutan	0–4	Lebanon
	Report Report (AFC)	Fakhro 9' Chakroun 16' Safwan 20' Farran 50'

Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al-Wakrah (Qatar)^{[note 6]}

Attendance: 397

Referee: Zhang Lei (China)

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

20:00 UTC+3

Yemen	9–0	Brunei
Al-Gahwashi 12', 27', 51', 54', 73' Al-Dahi 29', 65' Masnom 62' Sabara 90+1'	Report Report (AFC)

Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City (Kuwait)^{[note 5]}

Attendance: 755

Referee: Meder Tayçiev (Kyrgyzstan)

---

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

20:15 UTC+8

Brunei	v	Lebanon

Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

17:30 UTC+3

Yemen	v	Bhutan

Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Farwaniya (Kuwait)^{[note 5]}

---

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- 

Lebanon	v	Yemen

^{[note 4]}

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- 

Bhutan	v	Brunei

^{[note 6]}

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Hong Kong	4	2	2	0	6	4	+2	8	2027 AFC Asian Cup			18 Nov	1–1	1–0
2	Singapore	4	2	2	0	5	3	+2	8			0–0		31 Mar	1–1
3	Bangladesh (E)	4	0	2	2	5	7	−2	2			3–4	1–2		18 Nov
4	India (E)	4	0	2	2	2	4	−2	2			31 Mar	1–2	0–0

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

20:30 UTC+8

Singapore	0–0	Hong Kong
	Report Report (AFC)

National Stadium, Kallang

Attendance: 8,064

Referee: Chae Sang-hyeop (South Korea)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:00 UTC+5:30

India	0–0	Bangladesh
	Report Report (AFC)

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong

Attendance: 14,952

Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

20:00 UTC+8

Hong Kong	1–0	India
Pereira 90+4' (pen.)	Report Report (AFC)

Kai Tak Stadium, Kowloon

Attendance: 42,570

Referee: Ahmad Alaeddin (Lebanon)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:00 UTC+6

Bangladesh	1–2	Singapore
Rakib 67'	Report Report (AFC)	Song Ui-young 45' Ikhsan 58'

National Stadium, Dhaka

Attendance: 21,317

Referee: Clifford Daypuyat (Philippines)

---

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:30 UTC+8

Singapore	1–1	India
Ikhsan 45+1'	Report Report (AFC)	Rahim 90'

National Stadium, Kallang

Attendance: 13,232

Referee: Shen Yinhao (China)

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

20:00 UTC+6

Bangladesh	3–4	Hong Kong
Choudhury 13' Morsalin 84' Shome 90+9'	Report Report (AFC)	Everton 45+4' Merkies 50', 75', 90+11'

National Stadium, Dhaka

Attendance: 22,343

Referee: Saud Al Samhan (Kuwait)

---

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

20:00 UTC+8

Hong Kong	1–1	Bangladesh
Orr 36' (pen.)	Report Report (AFC)	Rakib 84'

Kai Tak Stadium, Kowloon

Attendance: 45,489

Referee: Hiroki Kasahara (Japan)

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

19:30 UTC+5:30

India	1–2	Singapore
Chhangte 14'	Report Report (AFC)	Song Ui-young 44', 58'

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao

Attendance: 2,036

Referee: Mohamad Issa (Lebanon)

---

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

20:00 UTC+8

Hong Kong	v	Singapore

Kai Tak Stadium, Kowloon

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

20:00 UTC+6

Bangladesh	v	India

National Stadium, Dhaka

---

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+5:30

India	v	Hong Kong

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+8

Singapore	v	Bangladesh

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Turkmenistan	4	3	0	1	7	4	+3	9[a]	2027 AFC Asian Cup			3–1	2–1	18 Nov
2	Thailand	4	3	0	1	10	4	+6	9[a]			31 Mar		1–0	2–0
3	Sri Lanka	4	2	0	2	5	4	+1	6			1–0	18 Nov		3–1
4	Chinese Taipei (E)	4	0	0	4	3	13	−10	0			1–2	1–6	31 Mar

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated
Notes:

1. Head-to-head points: Turkmenistan 3, Thailand 0.

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

18:30 UTC+8

Chinese Taipei	1–2	Turkmenistan
Kouamé 63'	Report Report (AFC)	Tagaýew 48' Gurbanow 83'

National Stadium, Kaohsiung

Attendance: 1,897

Referee: Abdulhadi Al-Ruaile (Qatar)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:30 UTC+7

Thailand	1–0	Sri Lanka
Gustavsson 43'	Report Report (AFC)

Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok

Attendance: 17,207

Referee: Zhang Lei (China)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

15:45 UTC+5:30

Sri Lanka	3–1	Chinese Taipei
Rajamohan 49' De Silva 53' Razeek 58'	Report Report (AFC)	Huang Wei-chieh 70'

Colombo Racecourse, Colombo

Attendance: 3,710

Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

20:00 UTC+5

Turkmenistan	3–1	Thailand
Titow 1' Saparmämmedow 37' Saparow 66'	Report Report (AFC)	Supachai 35'

Ashgabat Stadium, Ashgabat

Attendance: 15,545

Referee: Ismaeel Habib Ali (Bahrain)

---

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

15:45 UTC+5:30

Sri Lanka	1–0	Turkmenistan
Perera 67'	Report Report (AFC)

Colombo Racecourse, Colombo

Attendance: 2,440

Referee: Tam Ping Wun (Hong Kong)

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:30 UTC+7

Thailand	2–0	Chinese Taipei
Seksan 51' Chanathip 78'	Report Report (AFC)

Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok

Attendance: 13,970

Referee: Amir Arab Baraghi (Iran)

---

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

18:30 UTC+8

Chinese Taipei	1–6	Thailand
Kuo Po-wei 46'	Report Report (AFC)	Teerasak 4', 62', 76' Seksan 25' Supachok 45+1' Huang Tzu-ming 90+3' (o.g.)

Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei

Attendance: 4,563

Referee: Omar Al Yaqoubi (Oman)

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

18:45 UTC+5

Turkmenistan	2–1	Sri Lanka
Tagaýew 52' Saparow 57'	Report Report (AFC)	Annagulyýew 65' (o.g.)

Arkadag Stadium, Arkadag

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Asker Nadjafaliyev (Uzbekistan)

---

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

15:45 UTC+5:30

Sri Lanka	v	Thailand

Colombo Racecourse, Colombo

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

18:45 UTC+5

Turkmenistan	v	Chinese Taipei

Arkadag Stadium, Arkadag

---

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+7

Thailand	v	Turkmenistan

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+8

Chinese Taipei	v	Sri Lanka

Group E

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Syria (Q)	4	4	0	0	11	1	+10	12	2027 AFC Asian Cup			5–1	31 Mar	2–0
2	Myanmar (E)	4	2	0	2	4	9	−5	6			0–3		2–1	1–0
3	Afghanistan (E)	4	0	2	2	2	4	−2	2			0–1	18 Nov		1–1
4	Pakistan (E)	4	0	2	2	1	4	−3	2			18 Nov	31 Mar	0–0

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

17:00 UTC+6:30

Myanmar	2–1	Afghanistan
Than Paing 28' Maung Maung Lwin 75'	Report Report (AFC)	Popalzay 14'

Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon

Attendance: 6,500

Referee: Yahya Al-Balushi (Oman)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

21:00 UTC+3

Syria	2–0	Pakistan
Faqa 23' Al Somah 56'	Report Report (AFC)

Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, Hofuf (Saudi Arabia)^{[note 7]}

Attendance: 1,217

Referee: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (Thailand)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

17:00 UTC+6:30

Myanmar	1–0	Pakistan
Than Paing 41'	Report Report (AFC)

Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon

Attendance: 22,000

Referee: Zhang Lei (China)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

20:15 UTC+3

Afghanistan	0–1	Syria
	Report Report (AFC)	Al Somah 6'

Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, Hofuf (Saudi Arabia)^{[note 8]}

Attendance: 532

Referee: Yousif Saeed Hasan (Iraq)

---

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

14:00 UTC+5

Pakistan	0–0	Afghanistan
	Report Report (AFC)

Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad

Attendance: 7,375

Referee: Mohammed Al-Shammari (Qatar)

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:15 UTC+3

Syria	5–1	Myanmar
Khribin 6', 19', 71' (pen.) Alsalkhadi 29' Al Hallaq 89'	Report Report (AFC)	Nanda Kyaw 90+1'

Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, Hofuf (Saudi Arabia)^{[note 7]}

Attendance: 198

Referee: Mohammad Mofeed (Jordan)

---

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

17:00 UTC+6:30

Myanmar	0–3	Syria
	Report Report (AFC)	Sabbag 79', 85' Alsalkhadi 87'

Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon

Attendance: 3,514

Referee: Tuan Yaasin Hanafiah (Malaysia)

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

18:00 UTC+3

Afghanistan	1–1	Pakistan
Hanifi 5'	Report Report (AFC)	Hussain 29'

Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Farwaniya (Kuwait)^{[note 8]}

Attendance: 750

Referee: Abdullo Davlatov (Tajikistan)

---

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

14:00 UTC+5

Pakistan	v	Syria

Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

16:00 UTC+6

Afghanistan	v	Myanmar

Bashundhara Kings Arena, Dhaka (Bangladesh)^{[note 8]}

---

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- 

Syria	v	Afghanistan

^{[note 7]}

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+5

Pakistan	v	Myanmar

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Malaysia	4	4	0	0	14	1	+13	12	2027 AFC Asian Cup			4–0	5–1	2–0
2	Vietnam	4	3	0	1	9	5	+4	9			31 Mar		5–0	3–1
3	Laos (E)	4	1	0	3	3	14	−11	3			0–3	18 Nov		2–1
4	Nepal (E)	4	0	0	4	2	8	−6	0			18 Nov	0–1	31 Mar

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

19:30 UTC+7

Vietnam	5–0	Laos
Châu Ngọc Quang 11' Nguyễn Văn Vĩ 44', 50' Nguyễn Hai Long 63' Nguyễn Quang Hải 84'	Report Report (AFC)

Gò Đậu Stadium, Thủ Dầu Một^{[note 9]}

Attendance: 11,068

Referee: Yahya Al-Mulla (United Arab Emirates)

25 March 2025 (2025-03-25)

22:00 UTC+8

Malaysia	2–0[note 10]	Nepal
Hevel 29' Corbin-Ong 71'	Report Report (AFC)

Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri

Attendance: 7,895

Referee: Hiroki Kasahara (Japan)

---

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

19:00 UTC+7

Laos	2–1	Nepal
Damoth 13' Peter 49'	Report Report (AFC)	Dangi 73' (pen.)

New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane

Attendance: 5,123

Referee: Nivon Robesh (Sri Lanka)

10 June 2025 (2025-06-10)

21:00 UTC+8

Malaysia	4–0[note 11]	Vietnam
Figueiredo 49' Holgado 58' Corbin-Ong 67' Cools 88'	Report Report (AFC)

Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur

Attendance: 61,512

Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)

---

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:00 UTC+7

Laos	0–3	Malaysia
	Report Report (AFC)	Arif 53' Cools 69' Faisal 90+7'

New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane

Attendance: 5,289

Referee: Wiwat Jumpao-on (Thailand)

9 October 2025 (2025-10-09)

19:30 UTC+7

Vietnam	3–1	Nepal
Nguyễn Tiến Linh 9' Phạm Xuân Mạnh 67' Nguyễn Văn Vĩ 72'	Report Report (AFC)	Sanish 17'

Gò Đậu Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City^{[note 9]}

Attendance: 8,597

Referee: Choi Hyun-jai (South Korea)

---

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

20:00 UTC+7^{[note 12]}

Nepal	0–1	Vietnam
	Report Report (AFC)	Suman 5' (o.g.)

Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)^{[note 13]}

Attendance: 6,870

Referee: Mohamed Khaled (Bahrain)

14 October 2025 (2025-10-14)

21:00 UTC+8

Malaysia	5–1	Laos
Faisal 59' Morales 65', 70' Khammanh 79' (o.g.) Josué 82'	Report Report (AFC)	Chanthavixay 19'

Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur

Attendance: 18,901

Referee: Ahmed Eisa Darwish (United Arab Emirates)

---

18 November 2025 (2025-11-18)

21:00 UTC+8

Nepal	v	Malaysia
	Report

Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)^{[note 13]}

19 November 2025 (2025-11-19)

19:00 UTC+7

Laos	v	Vietnam
	Report

New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane

---

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+7

Vietnam	v	Malaysia
	Report

31 March 2026 (2026-03-31)

--:-- UTC+5:45

Nepal	v	Laos
	Report

TBD^{[note 13]}

Goalscorers

There have been 139 goals scored in 48 matches, for an average of 2.9 goals per match (as of 14 October 2025).

8 goals

• Bjørn Martin Kristensen

6 goals

• Nasser Al-Gahwashi

4 goals

• Shervoni Mabatshoyev

3 goals

• Raphaël Merkies
• Malek Fakhro
• Song Ui-young
• Omar Khribin
• Teerasak Poeiphimai
• Nguyễn Văn Vĩ

2 goals

• Rakib Hossain
• Husseyn Chakroun
• Dion Cools
• La'Vere Corbin-Ong
• Faisal Halim
• Romel Morales
• Than Paing
• Jefferson Tabinas
• Ikhsan Fandi
• Mohammad Alsalkhadi
• Omar Al Somah
• Pablo Sabbag
• Seksan Ratree
• Mekan Saparow
• Elman Tagaýew
• Omar Al-Dahi

1 goal

• Mahboob Hanifi
• Omid Popalzay
• Hamza Choudhury
• Shekh Morsalin
• Shamit Shome
• Dawa Kuenjung Tshering
• Nazirrudin Ismail
• Ange Kouamé
• Huang Wei-chieh
• Kuo Po-wei
• Everton Camargo
• Matt Orr
• Stefan Pereira
• Rahim Ali
• Lallianzuala Chhangte
• Chanthavixay Khounthoumphone
• Peter Phanthavong
• Damoth Thongkhamsavath
• Jihad Ayoub
• Zein Farran
• Mohamad Haidar
• Samy Merheg
• Mohamad Safwan
• Walid Shour
• Arif Aiman
• João Figueiredo
• Hector Hevel
• Rodrigo Holgado
• Paulo Josué
• Ali Fasir
• Maung Maung Lwin
• Nanda Kyaw
• Manish Dangi
• Sanish Shrestha
• Etzaz Hussain
• Jarvey Gayoso
• Sandro Reyes
• Randy Schneider
• Dillon De Silva
• Leon Perera
• Adhavan Rajamohan
• Ahmed Waseem Razeek
• Mohammad Al Hallaq
• Ahmad Faqa
• Vahdat Hanonov
• Manuchekhr Safarov
• Shahrom Samiev
• Parvizdzhon Umarbayev
• Supachai Chaided
• Patrik Gustavsson
• Supachok Sarachat
• Chanathip Songkrasin
• Gali Freitas
• João Pedro
• João Rangel
• Ýazgylyç Gurbanow
• Yhlas Saparmämmedow
• Mihail Titow
• Châu Ngọc Quang
• Nguyễn Hai Long
• Nguyễn Quang Hải
• Nguyễn Tiến Linh
• Phạm Xuân Mạnh
• Abdulwasea Al-Matari
• Abdulaziz Masnom
• Abdul Sabara

1 own goal

• Karma Chetrim (against Brunei)
• Huang Tzu-ming (against Thailand)
• Khammanh Thapaseuth (against Malaysia)
• Suman Shrestha (against Vietnam)
• Güýçmyrat Annagulyýew (against Sri Lanka)

Notes

1. Referred as the final round
2. FIFA suspended Pakistan from all football activities on 6 February 2025 due to failing to adopt a version of the PFF constitution that had been approved by FIFA and AFC.^[4][5] The PFF voted to approve the constitutional changes on 27 February 2025, and the suspension was lifted on 2 March 2025.^[6][7]
3. Timor-Leste will play their home games outside the country, due to a lack of an available venue that meet FIFA standards.^[13][14]
4. Lebanon are required to play all their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict.
5. Yemen are required to play their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Yemeni civil war.
6. Bhutan are required to play their home matches at a neutral venue, due to the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu failing to meet AFC standards.
7. Syria played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Syrian civil war.
8. Afghanistan played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Afghan conflict.
9. Thủ Dầu Một was incorporated to Ho Chi Minh City in 1 July 2025.
10. On 26 September 2025, FIFA sanctioned the Football Association of Malaysia and seven players for using falsified eligibility documents.^[15] One player, Hector Hevel played in the match against Nepal, but no ruling has yet been made concerning the outcome of the match.
11. On 26 September 2025, FIFA sanctioned the Football Association of Malaysia and seven players for using falsified eligibility documents.^[16] The seven players all played in the match against Vietnam, but no ruling has yet been made concerning the outcome of the match.
12. Match time was previously 19:30, but due to rain in Ho Chi Minh City, it was delayed for 30 minutes
13. Stadiums in Nepal do not meet AFC requirements, thus Nepal are required to play their home matches at a neutral venue.^[17][18]

See also

• 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round