The draw for the qualifying play-off was held at the AFC house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 December 2011, 15:00 UTC+08:00.
[1] The draw, without any seeding or country protection, determined the brackets as well as host of each play-off match.
[2] Extra time and penalty shootout would be used to decide the winner if necessary.
[3] The four winners of the final round (two from West Zone, two from East Zone) advanced to the group stage to join the 28 teams which directly entered the group stage.
The three losers of the final round (two from West Zone, one from East zone) advanced to the 2012 AFC Cup group stage, except the loser of the match between Adelaide United and Persipura Jayapura.