The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially announced that the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation will serve as the Host Member Associations for the highly anticipated AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Playoffs.

Set to take place from October 8 to 14, 2025, the Playoffs will feature six national teams—Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These teams, having placed third and fourth in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™, will compete in a centralised tournament format hosted across Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The six teams will be split into two groups of three. The winner of each group will earn an automatic place at the FIFA World Cup 2026, making this a crucial final chance for qualification.

Following the group stage, the runners-up from each group will face off in a two-legged Knockout Stage scheduled for November 13 and 18, 2025. The winner of this final playoff will move on to represent Asia in the FIFA Play-off Tournament, providing one last opportunity for World Cup qualification.

The Official Draw for the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 Playoffs is set to take place on July 17, 2025, and will determine the composition of the groups and fixtures.