The

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first round of

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, which also served as the first round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification, was played from 12 to 17 October 2023.

Format

A total of twenty teams were drawn into ten home-and-away ties, the winners of which advanced to the

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. As the second round draw occurred on the same date as the first round draw, each winner already knew their second round schedule.

Schedule

The schedule was as follows:

Draw

The draw for the first round was held on 27 July 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These 20 teams were divided into ten pairings, with each pair playing home and away across 12 and 17 October 2023. The numbers in parentheses indicate the

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of July 2023. Note: Bolded teams qualified for the

Summary

The ten winners advanced to the second round of qualifying.

Matches

Afghanistan won 2–0 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Bangladesh won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Singapore won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Yemen won 4–1 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Myanmar won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Pakistan won 1–0 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Chinese Taipei won 7–0 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Indonesia won 12–0 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Hong Kong won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the

. ---- Nepal won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the

Ranking of best losing teams

The first round doubled as preliminary qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The top-ranked losing team progressed to the third round of Asian Cup qualifying, while the remainder joined the

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in the

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Goalscorers

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2026 FIFA World Cup qualification - AFC first round 1 1 2023 in Asian football FIFA World Cup qualification, AFC Round 1