1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification
This 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification phase started in December 1978 while other qualification matches took place in early 1979. A total of 18 teams participated. Eight teams from the top two of each group advance to the final tournament, joining hosts Kuwait and defending champions Iran.
| AFC Asian Qualifiers |
|---|
Groups
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Iran qualified as defending champions
Kuwait qualified as hosts
Qualification
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Syria |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
| 2 |  United Arab Emirates |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 |  Lebanon |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 1 | |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bahrain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrawn[lower-alpha 1] |
- All matches played in the United Arab Emirates.
| United Arab Emirates | 0–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Syria | 1–1[lower-alpha 1] Cancelled | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
- In the 17 November match between Syria and Bahrain, the referee awarded a penalty to Bahrain. The Syrian head coach entered the pitch, threatening the referee, who stopped the match in the 81st minute. The committee initially awarded the match 3–0 in favour of Bahrain, but Syria threatened to withdraw; the committee adjusted its decision to a replay of the match on 25 November, but then Bahrain withdrew. All matches involving Bahrain were annulled.[1]
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Qatar |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 Bangladesh |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Afghanistan |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 |
- All matches played in Bangladesh.
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 3–0 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 0–4 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 2–1 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
Group 3
- All matches played in Thailand.
- Allocation matches to determine groups
Singapore received a bye
Thailand  | 3–1 |  Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
Daoyod Dara  12'Withaya Laohakul 24'Manus R. 35' |
Timo Kapissa 18' |
Group 3A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Malaysia |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 North Korea |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
| Indonesia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
| Malaysia | 4–1 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Santokh Singh 35' James Wong 51'Bakri Ibni 55'Mokhtar Dahari 88' |
Iswadi Idris 71' |
| North Korea | 3–1 | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Pak Jong-Hun 22' 75' Hong Song-Nam 32' |
Andi Lala 35' |
Group 3B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 6 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Hong Kong |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 4 | |
 Sri Lanka |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 | |
| Singapore |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
Group 4
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Korea |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 6 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup |
 China PR |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 | |
 Macau |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Philippines |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 |
- All matches played in the Philippines.
References
- Al Anwar, November 1979
- Morrison, Neil; Jovanovic, Bojan; Panahi, Majeed; Veroeveren, Pieter. "Asian Nations Cup 1980". RSSSF.
- "A-Cup: Singapore in Group Three"
- The Straits Times, 19 September 1978, Page 24
- "Champions Iran out of Asian Cup final round"
- The Straits Times, 25 May 1979, Page 35
- Al Anwar, November 1979