The host country Thailand qualified automatically, while the other 15 teams were decided by qualification, with the matches played between 7–13 October 2023 in centralised venues.

[1] The 46 AFC member associations were eligible to enter the qualification after Sri Lanka was barred from participating in international competitions due to FIFA suspension before the draw.

Only 30 teams including China, India and Macau who did not participate in the previous edition, entered the competition.

17 teams including Turkmenistan who withdrew after the draw plus Oman and United Arab Emirates who did participate in the previous edition, did not enter to the qualification and were listed below.

Afghanistan were the only debutant in the final tournament, while Australia marked their return for the first time in 8 years.