2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) determined the four direct qualifying spots and one inter-confederation play-off spot for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany. A total of 39 AFC nations participated in the qualification process.

The qualification process was structured in several rounds. The first round involved a two-legged knockout stage between the lower-ranked teams. The winners advanced to the second round, joining the higher-ranked teams.

The second round consisted of eight groups of four or five teams. Each team played every other team in their group in a home-and-away format. The winners of each group advanced to the third round.

The third round saw the eight group winners from the second round divided into two groups of four teams each. Teams once again played each other in a home-and-away format. The top two teams from each group qualified directly for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The two third-placed teams from the third round then played each other in a two-legged playoff. The winner of this playoff advanced to an inter-confederation play-off against the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF region. The winner of this inter-confederation play-off also qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Ultimately, the four AFC nations that qualified directly for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, and Iran. Bahrain won the AFC playoff and then contested the inter-confederation playoff against Trinidad and Tobago, losing and failing to qualify.