AFC looks to the future with second edition of leadership programme
June 12 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has launched the 2nd AFC Certificate in Football Leadership (ACFL) programme.
June 13 – India may have crashed out of AFC World Cup qualifying for 2026, but the second largest country in the world has a growing appetite for football and the confederation is keen to harness its vast population in the regional game.
June 12 – In an indictment of Igor Stimac’s management, India crashed out of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after a 2-1 defeat against Qatar ended their hopes of making the third round group stages.
June 12 – The AFC will hold its draw for the qualifiers for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025 and AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 tomorrow at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Aussies deny Palestine FA president Jibril Rajoub entry for final WC2026 group qualifier
June 11 – Palestine Football Association’s (PFA) president Jibril Rajoub has been denied entry to Australia ahead of the Palestinian team’s final group stage game against Australia.
Palestine qualify for final stage of AFC World Cup qualifiers for first time
June 10 – A 0-0 draw with Lebanon in Qatar was enough to see Palestine through to the final stage of the AFC’s qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup for the first time.
Saudis close league season with record sets of stats in a game-changing season
May 31 – The Saudi Pro league (officially called the Roshn Saudi League) may have its critics in western Europe, but the 2023/24 season has undoubtedly been a game changer in the country and for the league internationally.
AFC reforms competition structures with U17 Asian Cups going annual and U23s quadrennially
May 29 – With FIFA having changed the frequency of the men’s and women’s U17 World Cup to annual events, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has similarly had to rethink its competition structure in order to create qualifying competitions for the FIFA tournaments.
AFC rolls out VAR to all four new club comps for 2024/25 season
May 29 – The Asian Football Confederation is to roll out VAR across the whole of its new three-tier men’s club structure from the start of next season, as well as the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League.
Al Ain beat Yokohama F. Marinos to win final AFC Champions League before format revamp
May 28 – Trailing 2-1 after the first leg in Yokohama two weeks ago, the UAE’s Al Ain turned the tables on the Yokohama F. Marinos in Abu Dhabi to win the AFC Champions League title for the second time.
South Korea appoint Kim Do-hoon as second interim for upcoming 2026 qualifiers
May 21 – As the wait goes on to appoint a permanent coach in succession to Jurgen Klinsmann who was sacked in February, South Korea have announced that another caretaker will be in charge when they look to seal their place in the next round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
AFC unveils branding for its revamped club comps and addition of Women’s Champions League
May 21 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has unveiled the brand identities that will be introduced for the revamp of its men’s club competition structure into three new tiers, and the introduction of its Women’s Champions League.
Saudis host African coaches for women’s development workshop
May 21 – Saudi Arabia is continuing its football outreach with the most recent event being a 5-day women’s football development workshop that brought together coaches from Africa and Saudi Arabia.
North Korean women add U17 AFC title to U20 win, and qualify for October World Cup
May 20 – North Korea, absent from international football as the country clamped its borders shut at the start of the pandemic, is rapidly re-emerging in the women’s game as a force to be reckoned with.
Shaikh Salman says AFC’s solidarity with Palestine FA is ‘resolute’ in call for Israeli sanctions
May 16 – AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has given his unequivocal backing to the Palestine FA’s proposal for FIFA to take action against the Israeli FA in line with both FIFA’s and the AFC’s statutory objectives.
