The hopefuls have been split into 10 groups – six of four, one of three and three of five – to battle in a centralised league format, which runs until October 27.
All group winners, along with the five best-placed runners-up, will progress to the 20th edition of the Finals, with two-time winners Saudi Arabia (1985, 1988) automatically qualifying as they host the tournament for the second time after 1992.
Group A (Zarqa)
Syria v Jordan
Kick-off: 17:00 (UTC+3)
DPR Korea v Hong Kong, China
Kick-off: 21:00 (UTC+3)
Group B (Phnom Penh)
Macau v Philippines
Kick-off: 16:00 (UTC+7)
Cambodia v Bangladesh
Kick-off: 19:00 (UTC+7)
Group C (Dalian)
Maldives v Bhutan
Kick-off: 15:30 (UTC+8)
Bahrain v China PR
Kick-off: 19:35 (UTC+8)
