A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 May 1971 – 24 December 1971 |
| Teams | 13 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 29 |
| Goals scored | 98 (3.38 per match) |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
- * 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' |
Indonesia  | 2–1 |  Hong Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Budi Santoso 4' ? |
? |
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 |
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 |
| Malaysia | 2–1 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Wong Choon Wah 12' Shaharuddin Abdullah 75' |
Sleyman 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
All the others withdrew, so 
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 |
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 |
