South Korea pull out of 2023 Asian Cup bid leaving road clear for China
May 16 – South Korea have pulled out of their bid to host the 2023 Asian Cup, leaving China as the last remaining bidder for the AFC’s 24-team blue riband event.
Competitions
Asian Champions League qualifiers get underway
February 5 – The Asian Cup may only have just finished, but there is little respite for Asia’s players as the qualifiers for this year’s AFC Asian Champions League, the continent’s premier club competition, get underway today.
Japan’s Kashima Antlers secure Asian Champions League title with 2nd leg draw in Tehran
November 13 – Kashima Antlers were crowned AFC Champions League winners for the first time after a goalless stalemate with Iran’s Persepolis at the Azadi Stadium on Saturday saw the Japanese side wrap up a 2-0 aggregate scoreline following their first leg victory last week.
Philippines flying as Asian women kick off qualifying campaigns for Tokyo 2020
November 7 – The first matches the Asian qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games women’s football competition have begun with Philippines being the fastest off the mark with a nine goal win over Singapore in the opening game.
Japan wins hat-trick of AFC U-16 titles to lead region into Peru for 2019 U17 World Cup
October 10 – Japan claimed the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship title on Sunday thanks to a narrow 1-0 win over Tajikistan in Malaysia.
Kashima Antlers and Persepolis edge first leg wins in ACL semi-final thrillers
October 3 – Kashima Antlers and Iranian giants Persepolis moved one step closer to an AFC Champions League title showdown after both sides earned narrow victories in the first leg of their respective semi-finals.
Thailand to host 2020 U23 AFC Championship with three slots for Tokyo Olympics
September 4 – Thailand will host the next Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship 2020 which will also act as a qualification for the Olympic games to be held in Tokyo that year.
Suwon take charge of all-Korean battle for ACL semi-final spot
August 30 – Two goals from Dejan Damjanovic (pictured) helped South Korea’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings edge closer to a place in the last four of this season’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League following a 3-0 win at domestic rivals Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the first leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday.
Korean Republic secures 5th AFC spot at France 2019 Women’s World Cup
April 17 – The Korean Republic became the fifth Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nation to qualify for the France 2019 Women’s World Cup with a 5-0 win over the Philippines in the fifth place play-off at the Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan.
AFC qualifiers go down to the wire with Chinese win keeping their hopes alive
September 1 – China kept their Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying hopes alive after a 1-0 home win over Uzbekistan in Wuhan. Asian World Cup qualifying is going down to the wire with only Iran and Japan having secured places with a final round of fixtures to be played this weekend.
AFC revamps club competition branding as Cup reaches knock-out stages
June 7 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has rebranded its top two club competitions – the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup – with a redesign.
I-league finale: Aizwal have chance to make Indian history
By Samindra Kunti
April 21 – Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan square off this weekend in the season’s penultimate match day in a game that could prove decisive for the I-league, and which may propel the team from Mizoram to a historic title.
AFC step up hunt for neutral venue for North Korea vs Malaysia 2019 qualifier
April 20 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has stepped in to mediate in the search for a venue for the postponed North Korea vs Malaysia 2019 Asian Cup qualifier that was postponed from the original March 28 date and rescheduled for June 8.
Syrian joy as Uzbek win pushes them back into Russia 2018 qualification mix
March 24 – It was classed as a “home” game but it was played 4,500 miles away in Malaysia before just 350 spectators.
AFC World Cup qualifiers on knife-edge as Aussies, Japan and Korea under threat
March 21 – With attention switching to World Cup qualifiers this week, the battle for a place at the Russia 2018 finals is no more competitive than in Asia where AFC qualification has reached the half way point. There are no runaway leaders and the traditional regional dominance of Australia, Japan and South Korea is under threat.