AFC General Secretary meets with Asia’s leading head coaches

Tue, 01 Aug, 2023

AFC General Secretary meets with Asia’s leading head coaches

Kuala Lumpur: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John met with some of the Continent's most renowned head coaches at the sidelines of the official draw ceremonies of the Preliminary Joint Qualifier Round 1 and Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™, which was held at the AFC House on Thursday. 

Amongst the luminary head coaches were China PR's technician Aleksandar Jankovic, Malaysia's Korea Republic tactician Kim Pan Gon, as well as AFC Asian Cup™ Lebanon 2000 title-winning coach Philippe Troussier who was recently appointed to lead Vietnam. The Socceroos' all-time men's leading scorer Tim Cahill, who clinched the AFC Asian Cup™ title with Australia on home soil in 2015, was also in attendance.

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/2969584.html

Seedings revealed for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Qualifiers draw

Wed, 26 Jul, 2023

Seedings revealed for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Qualifiers draw

Kuala Lumpur: With the release of the latest FIFA Ranking last Thursday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the seedings for all the Member Associations (MAs) that will be involved in the official draw ceremonies of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 and Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

A total of 46 MAs will get a clearer idea of their qualification pathways during the Round 1 and Round 2 draws, which will take place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 2pm and 4pm respectively.

Teams learn Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 opponents

Thu, 27 Jul, 2023

Teams learn Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 opponents

Kuala Lumpur: The stage is set for Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ following the draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The 36 sides were drawn into nine groups of four, and they will compete against each team in a home-and-away round-robin format, between November 2023 and June 2024. 

Ten of the Round 2 teams will progress from Round 1 of the Preliminary Joint Qualification, with the draw conducted earlier on Thursday. As there will be 48 teams – a first – at the FIFA World Cup 2026, eight and a half slots are on offer for the Continent’s national teams. 

Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 Draw Finalised

Thu, 27 Jul, 2023

Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 Draw Finalised

Kuala Lumpur: The draw for the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ was completed at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

A total 20 teams were divided into 10 pairings, with each pair to play one home and one away match on October 12 and 17, 2023 respectively.

Preview - Group E: Portugal v Vietnam

Wed, 26 Jul, 2023

Preview - Group E: Portugal v Vietnam

Hamilton: Vietnam are braced for another challenge when they face Portugal in Group E of the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 on Thursday.  

Despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to defending champions United States in their opening match, Vietnam earned plaudits for their defensive resilience and head coach Mai Duc Chung expects Portugal to be equally offensive at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.