1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 28 AFC teams entered the competition. However, Chinese Taipei were assigned to the Oceanian zone instead. The Asian zone was allocated 2 places in the final tournament. Asia's automatic qualifying berths were taken by Iraq and Korea Republic.

Tournament structure

The 27 teams were divided into 2 zones, based on geographical considerations. Zone A had 13 teams and Zone B had 14 teams. There would be three rounds of play in each zone:

First Round: The teams were divided into 4 groups of 3 or 4 teams each. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Second Round.
Second Round: The 4 teams in each zone were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the Final Round.
Final Round: The 2 teams in each zone played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winners would qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Due to wars their countries were involved in, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon had to play all their home matches on neutral ground or away. Iran refused this arrangement and were disqualified, while Lebanon withdrew from the qualifiers after the fourth match.