1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 May – 24 December 1971 |
| Teams | 13 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 29 |
| Goals scored | 98 (3.38 per match) |
← 1968 1976 → | |
| AFC Asian Qualifiers |
|---|
Qualification for the 1972 AFC Asian Cup finals held in Thailand.
Zones
| Central zone | Eastern zone | Western zone 1 | Western zone 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Brunei |
|
Bahrain |
- * Withdrew
- ** Israel originally qualified as hosts, but withdrew later[1]
- *** Iraq were allocated to Western zone later
- Iran qualified as defending champions
Central Zone
- All matches played in Thailand.
Group allocation matches where winners were divided into separate groups
| Malaysia | 8–0 | Brunei |
|---|---|---|
| Zulkifli Norbit 12', 28', 80' S. Abdullah 28', 38', 83' Wong Choon Wah 37' Soh Chin Aun 48' |
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 4 |
| Thailand | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 2 |
| Brunei | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | −19 | 0 |
Source:
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
| Khmer Republic | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 |
Source:
| Malaysia | 2–1 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Wong Choon Wah 12' Shaharuddin Abdullah 75' |
Slayman Selim 44' |
| Malaysia | 2–1 | Hong Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Shaharuddin Abdullah 25', 69' | Chung Chor Wai 44' |
Semifinal
Match for third place
Final
Thailand and Khmer Republic qualified for final tournament
Eastern Zone
Since all other teams withdrew, the zone was scratched and South Korea qualified automatically.
Western Zone
- All matches played in Kuwait.
Group allocation matches where winners were divided into separate groups
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) had a bye
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 6 |
| Jordan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Bahrain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 2 |
| Ceylon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 |
Source: [2]
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| Lebanon | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Syria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 1 |
Source:
Semifinal
Match for third place
Final
Iraq and Kuwait qualified for final tournament
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | Hosts* and Central Zone winners | 30 May 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Iran | 1968 AFC Asian Cup Champions | 19 May 1968 | 1 (1968) |
| Khmer Republic | Central Zone runners-up | 30 May 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| South Korea | Eastern zone winners (automatically qualified) | 1971 | 3 (1956, 1960, 1964) |
| Iraq | Western Zone winners | 22 December 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Kuwait | Western Zone runners-up | 21 December 1971 | 0 (debut) |