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Moriyasu: Beating England a boost to Japan's confidence

Wed, 01 Apr, 2026

Moriyasu: Beating England a boost to Japan's confidence

London: Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu said his team's historic 1-0 win against England on Tuesday would give them the confidence to make a major impact at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Kaoru Mitoma's composed finish in the first half of the friendly at Wembley condemned England to their first ever defeat at the hands of an Asian nation.

After two losses and a draw in three previous meetings dating back to 1995, Japan were finally able to savour a victory over England on a memorable evening for Moriyasu's side.

Hussein powers Iraq to Finals

Wed, 01 Apr, 2026

Hussein powers Iraq to Finals

Monterrey: Aymen Hussein scored the winner as Iraq booked their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after defeating Bolivia 2-1 in their playoff at Monterrey Stadium on Tuesday.

The win sees the West Asian side return to the global showpiece for the first time since making their debut in 1986, ironically when the tournament was last held in Mexico.

Iraq will have France, Senegal and Norway for company in Group I of the global showpiece. 

Preview - Playoff: Iraq v Bolivia

Sun, 29 Mar, 2026

Preview - Playoff: Iraq v Bolivia

Monterrey: Graham Arnold has vowed that Iraq will not hold back against Bolivia when the sides meet in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Playoff on Tuesday.

At stake is a spot in Group I of the global showpiece alongside France, Norway and Senegal, with Iraq seeking a return to the Finals for the first time since making their debut in 1986.

Popovic aiming for Australia reset

Tue, 24 Mar, 2026

Popovic aiming for Australia reset

Sydney: Australia head coach Tony Popovic will look to use the Socceroos’ hosting of this month’s FIFA Series to re-establish a positive mood within his squad as the countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2026 continues in earnest.

The Australians will face African powerhouse Cameroon in Sydney on Friday before travelling to Melbourne to take on fellow FIFA World Cup qualifiers Curaçao in one of the last remaining warm-up matches ahead of the Finals in June and July.

Australia have been drawn to play co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and one of Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey and Romania in Group D at the 48-nation Finals with Popovic ready to ramp up preparations in the coming weeks.

Indonesia name Herdman as head coach

Sat, 03 Jan, 2026

Indonesia name Herdman as head coach

Jakarta: Former Canada coach John Herdman has been named the new head coach of Indonesia, the PSSI confirmed on Saturday.
 

The 50-year-old Englishman previously led Canada’s women’s team to the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016 before qualifying the country’s men’s team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, their first appearance at the finals in 36 years.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/fifa_world_cup.html/photo/asia-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2026

Draw: What they said

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Draw: What they said

Washington: Friday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw revealed the challenges Asia’s finest will face in the expanded global showpiece next summer.

It was a draw which had everything and the Asian teams were understandably excited as they began to lay plans for their respective sides.

The-AFC.com listened to what they had to say.

Asia's hopefuls discover challengers

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Asia's hopefuls discover challengers

Washington: Asia's representatives learnt their FIFA World Cup 2026 challengers following the conclusion of the draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday.

The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups for the global showpiece which will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States on June 11-July 19, 2026.

Final draw: All you need to know

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Final draw: All you need to know

Kuala Lumpur: The Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be held on Friday and it promises to be a spectacular affair.

The expanded 48-team tournament - up from the 32-nation field that competed at the FIFA World Cup 2022 - will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year.

With Asia set to be well represented, the-AFC.com brings you all the details of the Final Draw.

Arnold urges focus as Iraq get set for Bolivia or Suriname showdown

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Arnold urges focus as Iraq get set for Bolivia or Suriname showdown

Kuala Lumpur: Graham Arnold has called for determination and focus after Iraq were drawn to face either Bolivia or Suriname in a single, winners-take-all FIFA Playoff Tournament tie next March for a place at the FIFA World Cup 2026. 

The draw, conducted at FIFA headquarters in Zürich, placed Iraq directly into the final stage of the inter-confederation playoff as one of the two seeded teams, bypassing the bracket semi-finals and standing just one match away from a historic return to football’s biggest stage.

Uzbekistan name Cannavaro as head coach

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Uzbekistan name Cannavaro as head coach

Tashkent: Former Italy FIFA World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has been named as the new head coach of Uzbekistan, it was announced on Monday.

It is the second time that the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner has taken charge of a national team, having coached China PR for two matches in early 2019 before stepping down.

Journey to 2026 begins

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Journey to 2026 begins

Kuala Lumpur: The long qualifying road for the FIFA World Cup 26 kicks off on Thursday with teams hoping to take their place amongst the expanded cast of 48 teams.

South American sides will be the first in action with preliminary competitions for Asia and Africa also to take off before the end of the year as nations battle it out for spots at the global Finals.
 
We take a look at the qualifying process and more for the tournament which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA.