Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualification offered nine places for Asian teams: eight direct qualifying berths and one more accessible through the inter-confederation play-offs.
Iraq won the fifth round in November 2025, earning the AFC's slot at the inter-confederation play-offs.
The draw for the first and second rounds was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 27th of July 2023.
The AFC qualification consisted of five rounds, running from October 2023 to November 2025.
Iraq was joined by Bolivia from CONMEBOL, DR Congo from CAF, Jamaica and Suriname from CONCACAF, and New Caledonia from the Oceania Football Confederation.
The format was announced on the 1st of August 2022. It introduced five rounds and increased the AFC's allocation to eight direct qualifying slots, plus one inter-confederation play-off slot.