2026 World Cup, 8.5 places in Asia

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] On August 1, the Asian Federal Union announced the 2026 World Cup Asian pre -election system. The AFC has 8.5 World Cup in the 2026 World Cup, including 6 direct -through places, two Asian players, and a number of intercontinental players.

The specific competition system is divided into four stages: In the first stage, the 22 teams of the 26th to 47th team in the AFC will perform two rounds with the main and away system. 11 winning teams and the top 25 teams in Asia (Chinese men's football currently ranked 11th) formed 9 groups to play in the second stage. At the same time, advanced to the Asian Cup in 2027. In the third stage, these 18 promotion teams will be divided into 3 groups, and the top two teams in each group will be qualified for the 2026 World Cup. In terms of playoffs, the third and fourth place in each group will be paid again. The first group of the two groups will directly advance to the 2026 World Cup. The AFC participated in the World Cup intercontinental game.

The World Cup in 2026 will be co -organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the participating teams will increase to 48. (Xu Yang)

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