Molten gets the ball rolling for 2026 Asian qualifiers
June 25 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has unveiled the Official Match Ball for the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26, taking place from September 2, 2024 to November 18, 2025.
Tag: Asia
AFC allocates pots for final round of 2026 World Cup qualifying draw
June 21 – The AFC has released the seeding pots for the final round of its 2026 World Cup qualifiers that will kick off in September 2024, completing in June 2025.
AFC confirms clubs and schedule for its new two-tier Champions League
June 19 – The clubs for Asia’s new two-tier Champions League – AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League Two – have been confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the 2024/25 season.
India sack Stimac after failure to reach third round of 2026 qualifying
June 17 – India have dismissed their Croatian manager Igor Stimac after the Blue Tigers failed to reach the third round of World Cup qualifying.
AFC unveils 22 clubs for inaugural Women’s Champions League
June 14 – The inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League will kick off this August with 22 clubs from 22 member associations making up the opening cohort of pioneering women’s teams.
AFC secures major Indian streaming deal with FanCode
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.
India crash out of 2026 World Cup qualifying
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.
AFC set for U17 and U20 Asian Cup qualifying draw
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.
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.
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.
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.