Asian berths for the final is 3.
- Preliminary round
- 12 highest seeded teams received byes for the second round. Other 24 teams were paired, where each pair played home and away. The 12 winners would advance to the second round.
- Second round
- 24 teams were paired, where each pair played home and away. The 12 winners would advance to the final round.
- Final round
- 12 teams were grouped into 3 groups of 4 teams each, where each group would consist of home and away round-robin tournament. The winners of each group would qualify to the finals.
Preliminary round 1
Turkmenistan won 2 – 1 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
1 – 1 on aggregate; Lebanon won on away goals and advanced to the Second Round.
Singapore won 5 – 3 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Iraq won 4 – 2 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Oman won 17 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Hong Kong won 3 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Myanmar won 3 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Palestine won 3 – 1 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Syria won 8 – 1 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
United Arab Emirates won 4 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Second Round.
Maldives withdrew. Iran advanced to the Second Round.
Yemen withdrew. Kyrgyzstan advanced to the Second Round.
Preliminary round 2
South Korea won 3 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Lebanon won 5 – 2 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Saudi Arabia won 10 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Iraq won 4 – 3 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Oman won 2 – 1 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Bahrain won 7 – 2 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Japan won 8 – 0 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Kuwait won 3 – 2 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
China won 4 – 3 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
United Arab Emirates won 5 – 2 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Iran won 9 – 2 on aggregate and advanced to the Final Round.
Turkmenistan withdrew due to SARS fears. Malaysia advanced to the Final Round.
Preliminary round 3
The final round was played in three groups of four teams each held from 1 March to 12 May 2004. The winner of each group will represent Asia at the 2004 Olympic Games.