Matches played 60 | Goals scored 161 (2.68 per match) | |
 | ||
Dates 6 February 2013 – 5 March 2014 Teams 20 (from 1 confederation) Attendance 672,607 (11,210 per match) Top scorer(s) Reza Ghoochannejhad
Ali Mabkhout
(5 goals each) | ||
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams.
Contents
In the initial scheme, ten places were determined by qualification matches, while six places were reserved for the following:
As the host nation Australia also finished as runners-up in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the initial 6 automatic qualification spots were reduced to 5, with a total of 11 spots eventually determined by the qualification matches, in which 20 AFC members compete.
Qualification process
The preliminary draw was held in Melbourne on 9 October 2012, 18:00 UTC+11. The twenty teams involved in the qualifiers were drawn into five groups of four teams each, with each group containing one team from each of the following seeding pots. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team from among all the groups qualified for the finals.
The following teams did not enter the main qualifying draw, as categorized as "emerging countries" they compete separately. The teams were eligible to qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup by winning either the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup or the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.
† Entrants to 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
‡ Entrants to 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
Schedule
The following matchdays have been assigned by the AFC for 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. As 15 and 19 November 2013 are also the dates of the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a number of alternative matchdays have been allocated.
Groups
In each group, the teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) and tie breakers are in following order:
- Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
- Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
- Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (Away goals do not apply)
- Goal difference in all the group matches
- Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches
- Kicks from the penalty mark if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play
- Drawing of lots
Ranking of third-placed teams
To determine the best third-placed team, the following criteria were used:
- Number of points obtained in the group matches
- Goal difference in the group matches
- Greater number of goals scored in the group matches
- Fewer points calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
- Drawing of lots