This 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification phase started in December 1978 while other qualification matches took place in early 1979. A total of 18 teams participated. Eight teams from the top two of each group advance to the final tournament, joining hosts

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

and defending champions

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Groups

* * Withdrew * qualified as defending champions * qualified as hosts

Qualification

Group 1

*All matches played in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. ---- ---- ---- ----

Group 2

*All matches played in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. *

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

were originally drawn in this group but they withdrew before the start of the qualifiers. ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Group 3

*All matches played in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. ---- ;Allocation matches to determine groups * received a bye ---- ---- ----

Group 3A

---- ----

Group 3B

---- ----

Semi-finals

----

Third place play-off

Final

and qualified for the final tournament

Group 4

*All matches played in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. ---- ---- ----

Qualified teams

Controversies

In the 17 November match between Syria and Bahrain, the referee awarded a penalty to Bahrain. The Syrian head coach entered the pitch, threatening the referee, who stopped the match in the 81st minute. The committee initially awarded the match 3–0 in favour of Bahrain, but Syria threatened to withdraw; the committee adjusted its decision to a replay of the match on 25 November, but then Bahrain withdrew. All matches involving Bahrain were annulled.'' Al Anwar'', November 1979

References

*Morrison, Neil; Jovanovic, Bojan; Panahi, Majeed; Veroeveren, Pieter
"Asian Nations Cup 1980"
RSSSF. *"A-Cup: Singapore in Group Three"
The Straits Times, 19 September 1978, Page 24
*"Champions Iran out of Asian Cup final round"
The Straits Times, 25 May 1979, Page 35
*'' Al Anwar'', November 1979 {{AFC Asian Cup AFC AFC Asian Cup qualification Asian Cup qualification AFC Asian Cup qualification

Qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...