The qualification process for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ begins later this year in November, where Australia will find out its opponents for the Round Two qualifiers later this week.
The Subway Socceroos will be in Pot 1 with the seeding based on the latest FIFA Men's Rankings, as 36 teams will be drawn into nine groups of four.
The draw will take place in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, July 27 at 6pm AEST.
As there will be 48 teams – a first – at the FIFA World Cup 2026, some changes have been made by the AFC to the qualification format, with there being eight and a half slots on offer for the Continent’s national teams. It means that the 20 lowest-ranked MAs will begin their road to the 23rd FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, in Round 1.
These 20 teams will be divided into 10 pairings, with each pair to play one home and one away match on October 12 and 17, 2023 respectively.
The ten winners of Round 1 proceed to Round 2, where they are joined by the remaining 26 teams. These 36 sides will be drawn into nine groups of four, competing against each team in a home-and-away round-robin format, between November 2023 and June 2024.
All nine group winners and the respective runners-up will advance to the third round of World Cup qualifying, and at the same time seal their places at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
The full list of seedings and Pots are as below:
Round 1
Pot 1 (ranked 27-36): Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Maldives, Yemen, Afghanistan, Singapore, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia
Pot 2 (37-46): Macau, Mongolia, Bhutan, Laos, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, Guam, Sri Lanka
Round 2
Pot 1 (1-9): Japan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Australia, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Oman
Pot 2 (10-18): Uzbekistan, China PR, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria, Vietnam, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic, India
Pot 3 (19-26): Lebanon, Tajikistan, Thailand, DPR Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Kuwait, Turkmenistan
Pot 4: 10 winning teams from Round 1 (last remaining team during the draw will be moved to Pot 3 to ensure an equal number of teams across the Pots)
The draw for the third round of the global showpiece in 2026 will be conducted in 2024, where the 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six; the top two from each group will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The other two direct AFC entrants will be determined in the fourth round of World Cup qualifying, with one more possible berth available via an Intercontinental Playoff.
You can watch the live Round 2 draw on the AFC's official YouTube channel here.