AFC Certificate in Football Leadership welcomes second batch of future decision-makers

Mon, 10 Jun, 2024

AFC Certificate in Football Leadership welcomes second batch of future decision-makers

Kuala Lumpur: Following the overwhelming response to the inaugural edition, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today launched the 2nd AFC Certificate in Football Leadership (ACFL) programme to enhance the ever-growing pool and capabilities of future Asian football decision-makers.

As part of the Confederation’s landmark AFC Academic Centre of Excellence (ACE)’s expanding repertoire of online programmes, the six-month-long initiative will see 36 decision-makers from AFC Member Associations (MAs), Regional Associations (RAs) and other football stakeholders follow in the footsteps of the graduates of the first edition, to further elevate the standards of football leadership on the Continent

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/3032639.html

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/3032641.html

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/3032642.html

Matchday 6: Five things to look out for

Sun, 09 Jun, 2024

Matchday 6: Five things to look out for

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday Five of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ lived up to expectations with another round of sizzling action.

With several more teams having confirmed their spots in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and booked their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, Tuesday will see last-ditch efforts by those still in the running.

The-AFC.com highlights five things to look out for on Matchday Six.

#AsianQualifiers - The Matchday 5 Star Performers

Sat, 08 Jun, 2024

#AsianQualifiers - The Matchday 5 Star Performers

Kuala Lumpur: Several players caught the eyes of Asian football fans as Korea Republic, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and Palestine became the latest sides to progress from the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday. 

From Son Heung-min finding his seventh goal of the campaign to Ali Jasim coming off the bench to guide Iraq to a hard-fought win in Jakarta, there were several scintillating individual displays on the penultimate matchday as 13 of the 18 spots in the AFC Asian Cup finals and the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers have now been decided.
 
With the second round set to conclude with the final set of fixtures on Tuesday, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the stars who impressed on Matchday Five of the qualification campaign. 

Battat dedicates historic qualification to Palestine

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Battat dedicates historic qualification to Palestine

Doha: Captain Mus'ab Al Battat expressed the squad's pride after Palestine secured qualification to the third stage of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time on Thursday.

A goalless stalemate with Lebanon in Group I of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ was enough for Palestine to secure second place.

The result also meant a fourth consecutive appearance in the AFC Asian Cup Finals, with the West Asian side having advanced to the knockout stage for the first time at Qatar 2023.

Talajic hails Bahrain’s resilience

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Talajic hails Bahrain’s resilience

Riffa: Head coach Dragan Talajic expressed his delight after Bahrain secured the point they needed against Yemen in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group H tie on Thursday.

The point meant Bahrain confirmed their place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and booked a spot in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals.

Ammouta happy to see Jordan thriving under pressure

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Ammouta happy to see Jordan thriving under pressure

Amman: Following a hugely successful AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, Hussein Ammouta knew the pressure was on for Jordan to march into the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and Al Nashama did just that after defeating Tajikistan 3-0 on Thursday.

The win achieved on home soil through goals from Ali Olwan, Yazan Al-Naimat and Ibrahim Sa’deh also meant that Jordan qualified for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Heading into the game two points ahead of Tajikistan, Ammouta’s initial plan was to give his younger players the chance to start but ultimately changed his mind.