Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

Asian Football Confederation (AFC)

Related Topics:
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football in Asia and Australia. It has 47 member countries, mostly located on the Asian and Australian continent. Australia, formerly in the OFC, joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, and the Oceanian island of Guam is also a member of AFC, in addition to Northern Mariana Islands. Hong Kong and Macau, although not independent countries are also members of the AFC. One of Fifa's six continental confederations, the AFC was formed officially on May 8, 1954 in Philippines. The main headquarters are located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The current president is Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.
South Korean players look on as the South Africa team celebrate their 1-0 win, and qualification to the second round, last week. Photo: Xinhua
Fifa

Asia’s disappointing World Cup exposes gap between region’s best and the rest

Players’ lack of time playing for or against teams in top leagues cited as reason only two sides survive first round, compared with Africa’s nine.

Fifa World Cup 2026

Notorious Chinese ref shows ‘playful’ side as RedNote signs World Cup TV deal

Chinese Football Association (CFA)

China youth team finish runners-up in U17 Asian Cup after narrow defeat to Japan

AFC Champions League

North Korean women deny they play ‘rough’ ahead of Asian Champions League final

Naegohyang coach Ri Yu-il expects final against Japanese side Tokyo Verdy Beleza to be played according to the letter of the law.

Naegohyang’s Kim Hye-yong (middle) tries to control the ball under pressure against Suwon FC Women in the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua

North v South purely a football matter for Korea coach ahead of rare contest

Naegohyang Women’s FC head coach Ri Yu Il brushes off questions about South Korean fans cheering for his team.

videocam
Kitchee SC

Recrowned Hong Kong kings Kitchee say making more impact in Asia is next mission

Club president Ken Ng Kin aiming to build ‘stronger and better’ team for continental quest, asks for patience over star striker chase.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
North Korea

North Korean footballers arrive in South, match tickets sell out

The rare visit comes as North Korea has in ‌recent years labelled the South its ‘most hostile state’.

videocam
North Korean Naegohyang Women’s FC soccer team arrives at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Chinese Football Association (CFA)

China’s emerging football generation rising to the occasion gives fans hope

Young players, who reached AFC U23 Asian Cup final, are playing pivotal roles in their club teams’ strong positions in the domestic standings.

Record winners Japan drawn against defending champions Qatar in Asian Cup finals

Saudi Arabia, who are staging the tournament for the first time, will meet Kuwait, Oman and Palestine in the continent’s 24-team showpiece event.

Fifa

Dutch league avoids chaos as court dismisses lawsuit over Indonesia passport

NAC Breda had contested 6-0 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles, whose defender Dean James was part of Indonesia’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Mika Godts (right) scores Ajax’s second goal in their 2-0 win last month over NAC Breda, who sit second from bottom of the Eredivisie. Photo: AFP
North Korea

Pitch perfect diplomacy? North Korean footballers head to South Korea

The visit by Naegohyang Women’s FC to South Korea’s Suwon for a competitive match does not signal a thaw in inter-Korea ties, analysts say.

South Korea’s Suwon FC Women and North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC walk onto the pitch ahead of their Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League group stage match in Myanmar in November. Photo: YouTube/The AFC Hub
AFC Champions League

Hong Kong title winners Kitchee seeking Asian Champions League answers

Continental governing body proposing revamp of its club competitions, city champions in dark over plans for next season.

Saudi Pro League

Japanese team with school coach to cap remarkable AFC Champions League journey

Tokyo club Machida Zelvia, who had never played in Japan’s top flight until 2024, are one win away from becoming Asian club champions.

videocam
Fifa

Italy underwhelmed by Trump envoy’s idea they should replace Iran at World Cup

Italian minister says such a move is ‘shameful’ while media says envoy Paolo Zampolli made same suggestion four years ago ahead ⁠of Qatar.

4
From left, Italy’s Gianluca Mancini, Pio Esposito, Marco Palestra, Leonardo Spinazzola and Federico Gatti after losing out to Bosnia Herzegovina in the final World Cup qualifier last month. Photo: Reuters
AFC Champions League

Referee Ma Ning remains in Jeddah after AFC Champions League Elite controversy

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad were enraged by two decisions – post-match tensions boiled over, with fans throwing objects and a player sent off.

Chinese referee Ma Ning was recently picked to officiate at the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Photo: Getty Images
AFC Champions League

ACL Elite: Kobe expecting tough quarter-final against Roberto Mancini’s Al-Sadd

Japanese side and Qatari club are among eight teams left in Jeddah in ‌the centralised finals series of the competition starting Thursday.

AFC Champions League

AFC recommends expansion of Champions League Elite to 32 teams from 2026-27 season

Kitchee expected to play in the second-tier AFC Champions League Two next season, but spokesman has not heard from the governing body.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Japan axe coach Nielsen 12 days after winning Women’s Asian Cup for ‘lacking passion’

Football association also said: ‘His coaching was a little too lax, a little too soft,’ the next full-time boss would likely be Japanese.

Greenlander Nils Nielsen led a rampant Japan to their third Asian title in four tournaments. Photo: AFP
Fifa

Women’s Asian Cup finalists accuse governing body of ‘ignoring’ prize money pleas

Champions Japan and runner-up Australia say ‘inequality between the men’s and women’s game remains’ despite financial success of their event.

The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong coach Losada ends Asian Cup qualifiers with defeat and ‘mixed feelings’

Interim mentor one of more than 300 applicants for permanent head coach role, with interviews to start this month and decision made in June.

Fifa

Fifa World Cup 2026: after travel ordeal, Iraq hope to secure Asia its 9th spot

Iraq coach Graham Arnold shielding players from Mideast war ahead of intercontinental play-off against Bolivia in Mexico on Tuesday.

The Iraq team, seen here training for their match against Bolivia on Tuesday, arrived in Monterrey on March 21 after a 25-hour journey. Photo: EPA
Fifa

World Cup: Italy hoping to scale Bosnian ‘Everest’, Kosovo on verge of history

Italian coach and fans feel weight of fears about missing out on a third straight World Cup while Kosovars are feeling the excitement.

Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso (black tracksuit) celebrates with players after winning their European qualification semi-final against Northern Ireland in Bergamo last Thursday. Photo: AFP
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Asian Cup game against Hong Kong on, India says, despite team being locked out

Hosts’ press conference cancelled as Kerala Football Association has not paid stadium owners, but dead-rubber match ‘will proceed as planned’.

AFC postpones draw for Saudi Asian Cup finals as Middle East conflict continues

Kingdom set to host tournament ‌for first time with 24 teams competing across three host cities in January and February.

AFC Champions League

Asian Champions League Elite: Iran’s Tractor FC in line for Saudi quarter-final

Jeddah will host western zone play-offs rescheduled because of war in the Middle East on April 13-14, as well as tournament’s final stages.

Defending champions Al-Ahli (pictured raising the trophy last year) will play Al-Duhail of Qatar for a spot in the quarter-finals against Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia. Photo: Reuters
Roberto Losada

Hong Kong football bosses scrambling for India flights after Nepal cancellation

City team’s preparation for final Asian Cup qualifier thrown into turmoil but phlegmatic head coach Roberto Losada keeping cool head.

Roberto Losada has plenty on his mind ahead of Hong Kong’s trip to India. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Asian women’s football champions Japan need ‘different tools’ to win World Cup

Nils Nielsen says Japan, the only team from Asia to have won the world title, will need to keep improving if they want to do it again.

Women’s Asian Cup: Japan beat Australia in final to claim continental title

The decider culminated a landmark tournament with more than 350,000 fans through the turnstiles, six times as many as the previous record.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement