1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)

Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian and Oceanian zone (AFC and OFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.

A total of 21 AFC and OFC teams and Israel^[1] entered the competition. However, South Vietnam could not compete after being annexed by Vietnam. The Asian zone was allocated 1 place (out of 16) in the final tournament.

There would be two rounds of play:

• First Round: The 21 teams would be divided into 5 groups. The groups had different rules, as follows:
  • Group 1 had 6 teams. The teams played against each other once in Singapore. The top 2 teams after the group matches played against each other in a single match. The winner would advance to the Final Round.
  • Groups 2 and 3 had 4 teams each. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
  • Group 4 had 4 teams. The teams played against each other twice in Qatar. The group winner would qualify.
  • Group 5 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.
• Final Round: The 5 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.

First Round

Group 1

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Hong Kong	6	4	2	2	0	9	5	+4
2	Singapore	5	4	2	1	1	5	6	−1
3	Malaysia	4	4	1	2	1	7	6	+1
4	Indonesia	3	4	1	1	2	7	7	0
5	Thailand	2	4	1	0	3	8	12	−4
—	Sri Lanka	withdrew

Hong Kong advanced to the Final Round.

Group 2

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	South Korea	6	4	2	2	0	4	1	+3
2	Israel	5	4	2	1	1	5	3	+2
3	Japan	1	4	0	1	3	0	5	−5
—	North Korea	withdrew

Korea Republic advanced to the Final Round.

Group 3

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Iran	8	4	4	0	0	8	0	+8
2	Saudi Arabia	2	4	1	0	3	3	7	−4
3	Syria	2	4	1	0	3	2	6	−4
—	Iraq	withdrew

Iran advanced to the Final Round.

Group 4

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Kuwait	8	4	4	0	0	10	2	+8
2	Bahrain	2	4	1	0	3	4	6	−2
3	Qatar	2	4	1	0	3	3	9	−6
—	United Arab Emirates	withdrew

Kuwait advanced to the Final Round.

Group 5

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Australia	7	4	3	1	0	9	3	+6
2	New Zealand	5	4	2	1	1	14	4	+10
3	Taiwan	0	4	0	0	4	1	17	−16

Australia advanced to the Final Round.

Final Round

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Iran	14	8	6	2	0	12	3	+9
2	South Korea	10	8	3	4	1	12	8	+4
3	Kuwait	9	8	4	1	3	13	8	+5
4	Australia	7	8	3	1	4	11	8	+3
5	Hong Kong	0	8	0	0	8	5	26	−21

Iran qualified.

See also

• 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
• 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
• 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
• 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
• 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

References