2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round

The play-off round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification was played between 5 and 10 September 2024.[1]

2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round
Match between Brunei and Macau
Tournament details
Dates5–10 September 2024
Teams6 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played6
Goals scored15 (2.5 per match)
Attendance23,972 (3,995 per match)
Top scorer(s)East Timor João Pedro
(3 goals)
2023
2031 →

Format

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When the play-off round was originally announced, a total of ten teams (the 2nd to 10th ranked losing teams from the first round plus the Northern Mariana Islands) would play home-and-away over two legs to determine the final five qualifiers for the third round.[2][3] However, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands were not included in the draw for the play-off round announced on 1 May 2024. This resulted in the top three losing teams (Bhutan, Maldives, and Laos) moving directly to the third round, and the remaining six teams entering the play-offs.[4] The play-off winners joined the 21 teams which advanced directly to the third round (three best ranked losing teams from the first round and 18 teams from the second round) to compete for the final six slots in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Qualified teams

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The teams participating in this round were decided by their ranking from the preliminary round.

Draw

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The draw for the play-off round was held on 9 May 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[4] These six teams were divided into three pairings, with each pair playing home and away between 5 and 10 September 2024. The numbers in parentheses indicate the FIFA Men's World Ranking of April 2024. The team from Pot 2 hosted the first leg, and the team from Pot 1 hosted the second leg.

Pot 1 Pot 2

Summary

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The three winners advanced to the third round of qualifying.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Sri Lanka  2–2 (4–2 p)  Cambodia0–02–2 (a.e.t.)
East Timor  4–3  Mongolia4–10–2
Brunei  4–0  Macau3–01–0

Matches

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Sri Lanka  0–0  Cambodia
Report
Attendance: 2,955
Referee: Sultan Mohamed Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates)
Cambodia  2–2 (a.e.t.)  Sri Lanka
  • Nhean   58'
  • Sos   98'
Report
Penalties
2–4
Attendance: 14,178
Referee: Asker Nadjafaliyev (Uzbekistan)

2–2 on aggregate. Sri Lanka won 4–2 on penalties.


East Timor  4–1  Mongolia
Report Mijiddorj   34'
Attendance: 108
Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia)
Mongolia  2–0  East Timor
Report
Attendance: 1,569
Referee: Ahmad Alaeddin (Lebanon)

East Timor won 4–3 on aggregate.


Brunei  3–0  Macau
Report
Attendance: 3,794
Referee: Crystal John (India)
Macau  0–1  Brunei
Report Azwan A. R.   10'
Attendance: 1,368
Referee: Nurzatbek Abdıkadırov (Kyrgyzstan)

Brunei won 4–0 on aggregate.

Goalscorers

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There were 15 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 2.5 goals per match.

3 goals

1 goal

Notes

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  1. ^ Timor-Leste played their home game in Gianyar, due to the National Stadium in Dili failing to meet FIFA standards.

References

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  1. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Asia's pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 confirmed". AFC. 1 August 2022.
  3. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Six teams to contest Qualifiers Playoff for Saudi Arabia 2027". AFC. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.