The 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC first round was part of the AFC qualifying tournament for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. 27 national teams were separated into an Eastern and Western zone where they were split into groups of 3 or 4, with the group winners progressing to the second round.
India entered the world cup qualifiers for the first time after 35 year wait. The last time they entered, they had directly qualified for the 1950 edition of the world cup.