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We now know everything there is to know about the upcoming 2025 FIFA World Cup qualification draw. Like the 2018 and 2022 editions Palestine will bypass the preliminary round and enter qualifying in Round 2. Unlike the previous editions, Palestine will be placed in Pot 2 having secured a ranking in the Top 16 of Asian national teams at the right time.
With the World Cup finals expanding from 32 to 48 teams Palestine and 45 other Asian nations will compete for eight berths and a playoff spot. The allocation for the continent has increased from 4.5 for the editions held from 2006-2022.
The preliminary round will feature the bottom 18 teams duking it out in a home and away playoff in October for the right to join the best 27 teams in Round 2. That round of play will consist of nine groups of four teams and be played in a round robin format on the following FIFA Match Days:
- November 16, 2023
- November 21, 2023
- March 21, 2024
- March 26, 2024
- June 6, 2024
- June 11, 2024
The draw will be held at AFC House in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on July 27th at 11:00 AM Jerusalem time.
The Pots for the draw are as follows:
Courtesy of: footyrankings.com
Palestine will open up on the road against a team from Pot 3 before traveling back to Palestine to host the team from Pot 1. Things get easier in March when Palestine will play a away to the team from Pot 4 before hosting the team from Pot 4 five days later. Palestine will then host the team from Pot 3 on June 6th before traveling to play the team from Pot 1 on June 11th.
The top two teams from each group advance to Round 3- and secure passage to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia- which will feature three groups of six teams. Each team will play each other twice with the top two teams from each group advance to the World Cup finals while the bottom two teams from each group are eliminated.
The teams finishing third and fourth advance to Round 4- hosted in a centralized location by the two best third place teams. Two matches in each group will determine which teams advance (group winners), which teams are eliminated (bottom team of each group) and which team advances to the playoff (second place teams).
The playoff will be held in a home and away format in November 2025 with winner advancing to an inter-confederational playoff.
Palestine’s record against the opponents from each pot is as follows (Pot 4 features projected playoff winners):
