The 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification involved 33 participating teams. The (hosts) and (holders) qualified automatically for the 1996 AFC Asian Cup.

Group 1

• All matches played in Vietnam
  Vietnam
  Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
  
  .

  17

  8

  Team
  	3	3	0	0	17	0
  9
  	3	2	0	1	13	5
  6
  	3	1	0	2	10	10	0	3
  	3	0	0	3	2	27	−25	0

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Group 2

• All matches played in Hong Kong
  Hong Kong
  Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
  
  .

  15

  9

  Team
  	3	3	0	0	16	1
  9
  	3	2	0	1	12	3
  6
  	3	1	0	2	7	12	−5	3
  	3	0	0	3	1	20	−19	0

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Group 3

• All matches played in Singapore
  Singapore
  Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
  
   and Thailand
  Thailand
  Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
  
   in a double round-robin
  Round-robin tournament
  A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
  
   format.

  26

  9

  Team
  	6	4	2	0	31	5
  14
  	6	3	3	0	16	7
  12
  	6	2	1	3	11	20
  7
  	6	0	0	6	4	30
  0

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Group 4

• All matches played in Malaysia

  6

  3

  Team
  	2	1	1	0	7	1
  4
  	2	1	1	0	5	2
  4
  	2	0	0	2	3	12
  0

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Group 5

• All matches played in Iran
  Iran
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
  
   and Oman
  Oman
  Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
  
   in a double round-robin
  Round-robin tournament
  A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
  
   format.

  26

  18

  Team
  	6	6	0	0	27	1
  18
  	6	4	0	2	23	5
  12
  	6	2	0	4	5	25
  6
  	6	0	0	6	2	26
  0

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Group 6

• All matches played in Jordan
  Jordan
  Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
  
   withdrew

  4

  3

  Team
  	2	2	0	0	4	0
  6
  	2	1	0	1	4	1
  3
  	2	0	0	2	0	7
  0

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Group 7

• All matches played on a home and away double round-robin
  Round-robin tournament
  A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
  
   format.

  4

  1

  Team
  	4	3	0	1	6	2
  9
  	4	2	0	2	5	4
  6
  	4	1	0	3	1	6
  3

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Group 8

withdrew

1

Team
	2	1	0	1	5	4
3
	2	1	0	1	4	5
3

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Group 9

• All matched played in Saudi Arabia
  Saudi Arabia
  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
  
  

  10

  Team
  	4	4	0	0	10	0
  12
  	4	1	0	3	3	7	−4	3
  	4	1	0	3	2	8	−6	3

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Group 10

• All matches played on a home and away double round-robin
  Round-robin tournament
  A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
  
   format.

  4

  1

  Team
  	4	2	2	0	9	5
  8
  	4	2	1	1	7	6
  7
  	4	0	1	3	3	8	−5	1

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