The Brunei Darussalam national football team has earned the opportunity to fight for a berth in the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup after reaching the final round of the qualifiers.
The Wasps, who secured a spot after defeating Macau in the playoffs, have been drawn in Group ‘B’ alongside Lebanon, Yemen, and Bhutan following a draw ceremony held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The nation’s immediate rivals Bhutan, who are two rungs above the Southeast Asian side in the current FIFA world rankings, will also be aiming their first shot at qualification.
Yemen, who are ranked 158th, will be aiming for their second qualification while top seed Lebanon will be hoping to clinch a third consecutive appearance in the finals following participation in the United Arab Emirates 2019 and Qatar 2023.
Twenty-four teams have been divided into six groups of four teams to compete in a round robin home and away format.
Ties will be played according to the AFC match schedule starting from March next year until March 2026 over a total of six match days.
Only six group winners will advance and join the 18 already-qualified teams in the competition proper which is slated to be held in January 2027 in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Timor Leste are the other teams affiliated by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) in the qualifying meet.
AFC Deputy General Secretary of Competitions and Football Shin Man Gil conducted the draw. – Fadhil Yunus