1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 December 1978 – 14 May 1979 | 
| Teams | 17 (from 1 confederation) | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 | 
| Goals scored | 91 (2.94 per match) | 
| ← 1976  1984 →  | |
| AFC Asian Qualifiers | 
|---|
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.
Groups
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
 | 
 | 
 | 
Qualification
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .svg.png) Syria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup | 
|  United Arab Emirates | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| .svg.png) Lebanon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 1 | |
| .svg.png) Bahrain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrawn[a] | 
- All matches played in the United Arab Emirates.
| United Arab Emirates  | 0–0 | .svg.png) Lebanon | 
|---|---|---|
- ^ a b 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) Afghanistan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 | 
- All matches played in Bangladesh.
- Iraq were originally drawn in this group but they withdrew before the start of the qualifiers.[2]
| Bangladesh  | 2–2 | .svg.png) Afghanistan | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
 | 
| Qatar  | 3–0 | .svg.png) Afghanistan | 
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh  | 1–1 |  Qatar | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
 | 
| Bangladesh  | 3–2 | .svg.png) Afghanistan | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | Report | 
 | 
| Qatar  | 3–0 | .svg.png) Afghanistan | 
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh  | 1–3 |  Qatar | 
|---|---|---|
| 
 | 
Group 3
- All matches played in Thailand.
- Allocation matches to determine groups
 Singapore received a bye 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 | Advance to semi-finals | 
| .svg.png) 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 .svg.png) | 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 | Advance to semi-finals | 
| .svg.png) 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 | 
| Hong Kong .svg.png) | 5–0 |  Sri Lanka | 
|---|---|---|
| Chung Chor Wai  ?', 50' Lau Wing Yip  23', 27' Derek Currie  75' | Report | 
| Thailand  | 4–0 |  Singapore | 
|---|---|---|
| Witthaya Laohakul  9', 52', 61' Jesdaporn Na Pattalung  43' | Report | 
Semi-finals
Third place play-off
Final
North Korea .svg.png) and
 and  Malaysia qualified for the final tournament
 Malaysia qualified for the final tournament 
Group 4
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .svg.png) South Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 6 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup | 
|  China | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 | |
|  Macau | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 | |
| .svg.png) Philippines | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 | 
- All matches played in the Philippines.
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearance | 
|---|---|---|---|
|  Kuwait | Hosts | N/A | 2 (1972, 1976) | 
|  Iran | 1976 AFC Asian Cup champions | 13 June 1976 | 3 (1968, 1972, 1976) | 
| .svg.png) Syria | Group 1 winners | 22 November 1979 | 0 (debut) | 
|  United Arab Emirates | Group 1 runners-up | 23 November 1979 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Qatar | Group 2 winners | 15 January 1979 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Bangladesh | Group 2 runners-up | 16 January 1979 | 0 (debut) | 
| .svg.png) North Korea | Group 3 winners | 12 May 1979 | 0 (debut) | 
|  Malaysia | Group 3 runners-up | 11 May 1979 | 1 (1976) | 
| .svg.png) South Korea | Group 4 winners | 29 December 1978 | 4 (1956, 1960, 1964, 1972) | 
|  China | Group 4 runners-up | 29 December 1978 | 1 (1976) | 
Controversies
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.[3]
References
- 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



.svg.png)




.svg.png)

.svg.png)


.svg.png)
