The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hosts the AFC Asian Cup, the premier association football tournament for senior men’s national teams in Asia that determines the continent’s champion.
The tournament is held every four years to provide national teams in the AFC region with a premier football competition. The first Asian Cup was held in 1956, with South Korea winning the first title of the AFC Asian Cup. Qatar is the defending champion in the 2025 edition.
The next edition will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027. That tournament involves 24 national teams after an expansion in 2019.
The 24 teams that advance to the final tournament are chosen through a qualification process.
The most successful team is Japan, which has won the tournament the most times, with four titles.
Other AFC Competitions: The AFC also organizes other competitions, such as the AFC U-20 Asian Cup, AFC U-17 Asian Cup, and AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
AFC Asian Cup 2027: Groups And Schedule
Draw Results
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
| Tajikistan (A1) | Lebanon (B1) | India (C1) | Thailand (D1) | Syria (E1) | Vietnam (F1) |
| Philippines (A2) | Yemen (B2) | Hong Kong, China (C2) | Turkmenistan (D2) | Afghanistan (E2) | Malaysia (F2) |
| Maldives (A3) | Bhutan (B3) | Singapore (C3) | Chinese Taipei (D3) | Myanmar (E3) | Nepal (F3) |
| Timor-Leste (A4) | Brunei Darussalam (B4) | Bangladesh (C4) | Sri Lanka (D4) | Pakistan (E4) | Laos (F4) |
Match Schedule
(TBC = To Be Confirmed)
Group A Matches
| Date | Match |
| 25 March 2025 | Tajikistan vs Timor-Leste |
| 25 March 2025 | Maldives vs Philippines |
| 10 June 2025 | Timor-Leste vs Maldives |
| 10 June 2025 | Philippines vs Tajikistan |
| 9 October 2025 | Timor-Leste vs Philippines |
| 9 October 2025 | Tajikistan vs Maldives |
| 14 October 2025 | Philippines vs Timor-Leste |
| 14 October 2025 | Maldives vs Tajikistan |
| 18 November 2025 | Timor-Leste vs Tajikistan |
| 18 November 2025 | Philippines vs Maldives |
| 31 March 2026 | Tajikistan vs Philippines |
| 31 March 2026 | Maldives vs Timor-Leste |
Group B Matches
| Date | Match |
| 25 March 2025 | Lebanon vs Brunei Darussalam |
| 25 March 2025 | Bhutan vs Yemen |
| 10 June 2025 | Brunei Darussalam vs Bhutan |
| 10 June 2025 | Yemen vs Lebanon |
| 9 October 2025 | Brunei Darussalam vs Yemen |
| 9 October 2025 | Lebanon vs Bhutan |
| 14 October 2025 | Yemen vs Brunei Darussalam |
| 14 October 2025 | Bhutan vs Lebanon |
| 18 November 2025 | Brunei Darussalam vs Lebanon |
| 18 November 2025 | Yemen vs Bhutan |
| 31 March 2026 | Lebanon vs Yemen |
| 31 March 2026 | Bhutan vs Brunei Darussalam |
Group C Matches
| Date | Match |
| 25 March 2025 | India vs Bangladesh |
| 25 March 2025 | Singapore vs Hong Kong, China |
| 10 June 2025 | Bangladesh vs Singapore |
| 10 June 2025 | Hong Kong, China vs India |
| 9 October 2025 | Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, China |
| 9 October 2025 | India vs Singapore |
| 14 October 2025 | Hong Kong, China vs Bangladesh |
| 14 October 2025 | Singapore vs India |
| 18 November 2025 | Bangladesh vs India |
| 18 November 2025 | Hong Kong, China vs Singapore |
| 31 March 2026 | India vs Hong Kong, China |
| 31 March 2026 | Singapore vs Bangladesh |
Group D Matches
| Date | Match |
| 25 March 2025 | Thailand vs Sri Lanka |
| 25 March 2025 | Chinese Taipei vs Turkmenistan |
| 10 June 2025 | Sri Lanka vs Chinese Taipei |
| 10 June 2025 | Turkmenistan vs Thailand |
| 9 October 2025 | Sri Lanka vs Turkmenistan |
| 9 October 2025 | Thailand vs Chinese Taipei |
| 14 October 2025 | Turkmenistan vs Sri Lanka |
| 14 October 2025 | Chinese Taipei vs Thailand |
| 18 November 2025 | Sri Lanka vs Thailand |
| 18 November 2025 | Turkmenistan vs Chinese Taipei |
| 31 March 2026 | Thailand vs Turkmenistan |
| 31 March 2026 | Chinese Taipei vs Sri Lanka |
Group E Matches
| Date | Match |
| 25 March 2025 | Syria vs Pakistan |
| 25 March 2025 | Myanmar vs Afghanistan |
| 10 June 2025 | Pakistan vs Myanmar |
| 10 June 2025 | Afghanistan vs Syria |
| 9 October 2025 | Pakistan vs Afghanistan |
| 9 October 2025 | Syria vs Myanmar |
| 14 October 2025 | Afghanistan vs Pakistan |
| 14 October 2025 | Myanmar vs Syria |
| 18 November 2025 | Pakistan vs Syria |
| 18 November 2025 | Afghanistan vs Myanmar |
| 31 March 2026 | Syria vs Afghanistan |
| 31 March 2026 | Myanmar vs Pakistan |
Group F Matches
| Date | Match |
| 25 March 2025 | Vietnam vs Laos |
| 25 March 2025 | Nepal vs Malaysia |
| 10 June 2025 | Laos vs Nepal |
| 10 June 2025 | Malaysia vs Vietnam |
| 9 October 2025 | Laos vs Malaysia |
| 9 October 2025 | Vietnam vs Nepal |
| 14 October 2025 | Malaysia vs Laos |
| 14 October 2025 | Nepal vs Vietnam |
| 18 November 2025 | Laos vs Vietnam |
| 18 November 2025 | Malaysia vs Nepal |
| 31 March 2026 | Vietnam vs Malaysia |
| 31 March 2026 | Nepal vs Laos |
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