With Korea and Japan gaining automatic entry to the final competition as hosts, forty member countries will battle it out for the remaining Asian places in the finals.

Either 2 or 3 other countries will qualify from the Asian qualifying competition, which is made up of ten groups of four teams with the teams in each group playing each other home and away.

The ten group winners will then be divided into two groups of five teams, with the teams in each group playing each other home and away.

The winners of these two groups qualify directly for the final competition.

The two teams which are runners up in each of these second round groups will compete in a play off on a home and away basis, with the winners playing the European runner up who did not get drawn to play in the European runners up play offs.

The winner of this Europe against Asia play off will qualify for the final competition