Kuala Lumpur: A total of 31 nations will compete in the 11th edition of the qualifiers, scheduled to run from September 20 to 24 in a round-robin format. The draw will divide teams into eight groups — seven with four teams each and one group with only three — to determine who advances to the final tournament.

Indonesia has already secured its place as the host nation, while the remaining 15 spots will be contested by the group winners and the seven best second-placed teams.

This year’s qualifiers are set to mark a historic milestone, with Bangladesh and Pakistan making their debut appearances. Meanwhile, futsal powerhouses Iran, Japan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan aim to continue their unbroken streak of appearances at every edition since the tournament’s inception.

For the first time, the group seedings will be based on the FIFA Men’s Futsal World Rankings (as of April 4), introducing a data-driven twist to the draw. Teams have been divided into four levels, with a separate classification for host nations of the qualifying groups.

Top-tier teams include Iran (5), Thailand (11), Japan (13), and Uzbekistan (23), while emerging teams such as Bangladesh and Pakistan enter unranked. Group hosts span multiple tiers, including Thailand, Kuwait, and China.

The AFC confirmed that the draw and team placements will be available on its official website following the ceremony.