Preview - MD1: Pakhtakor FC (UZB) v Al Wasl Club (UAE)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Pakhtakor FC (UZB) v Al Wasl Club (UAE)

Tashkent: Pakhtakor FC will be counting on their track record to see them past Al Wasl Club in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 opener on Tuesday.

Pakhtakor have lost only once in their last eight opening continental matches and are undefeated at home in as many but will be meeting Al Wasl for the first time.

Preview - MD1: Buriram United (THA) v Vissel Kobe (JPN)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Buriram United (THA) v Vissel Kobe (JPN)

Buriram: It will be a meeting between the champions of Thailand and Japan when Buriram United host Vissel Kobe in their opening AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 tie on Tuesday.

Domestically, Buriram are enjoying better fortunes while Vissel Kobe have to fight if they are defend the J1 League title they won for the first time last season.

Preview - MD1: Shanghai Shenhua (CHN) v Pohang Steelers (KOR)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Shanghai Shenhua (CHN) v Pohang Steelers (KOR)

Shanghai: Shanghai Shenhua will look to carry their domestic form onto the continental stage when they welcome Pohang Steelers for their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 tie on Tuesday.

Shanghai Shenhua are very much in the running for the Chinese Super League title, sitting two points adrift of leaders Shanghai Port with five matches remaining.

Preview - MD1: Gwangju FC (KOR) v Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Gwangju FC (KOR) v Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN)

Gwangju: Gwangju FC will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of fellow Korea Republic side Incheon United when they host Yokohama F. Marinos in their opening AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 tie on Tuesday.

Incheon defeated eventual AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 runners-up F. Marinos in their continental debut last season and Gwangju, appearing at this stage for the first time, will be hoping to do the same.

Preview - MD1: Shandong Taishan FC (CHN) v Central Coast Mariners (AUS)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Shandong Taishan FC (CHN) v Central Coast Mariners (AUS)

Ji'nan: Shandong Taishan FC will fancy their chances when they welcome Central Coast Mariners to the Jinan Olympic Sports Center for their opening AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 tie on Tuesday.

Shandong Taishan, who defeated Thailand's Bangkok United in the preliminary stage, will be appearing at the top tier of Asian club football for the 12th time while Central Coast Mariners are making a return after a 10-year lapse.

Jackson: Mariners hungry for more success

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Jackson: Mariners hungry for more success

Sydney: Central Coast Mariners kick-off their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 campaign on Tuesday against Shandong Taishan with head coach Mark Jackson celebrating a landmark first year in charge. The AFC Cup™-winning coach talks to the-AFC.com about the last 12 months and his hopes for more success in the coming season.

The beginning and end of Mark Jackson’s first season as Central Coast Mariners’ head coach were the starkest of contrasts; from four consecutive league defeats to a treble of the AFC Cup, A-League Premiership and A-League Championship, the turnaround was considerable.

In less than a year the Englishman had delivered the most notable single-season trophy haul in Australian club football history, a feat made all the more notable by the rigours of crisscrossing Asia and the January departure of Marco Tulio, the club’s best player.

Preview - MD1: Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) v Persepolis FC (IRN)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) v Persepolis FC (IRN)

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC will aim to make home ground advantage count when they welcome Persepolis FC for their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 tie at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium on Monday.

Both teams have endured indifferent starts domestically and will target a win to launch their continental campaigns on the front foot.

Preview - MD1: Esteghlal FC (IRN) v Al Gharafa (QAT)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Esteghlal FC (IRN) v Al Gharafa (QAT)

Qods: Esteghlal FC and Al Gharafa will both be desperate to shake off their inconsistent form when they face off in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 opener on Monday.

Both have struggled to get going domestically and will have to find their best form if they are to hit the ground running at the Shahr-e Qods Stadium.

Preview - MD1: Al Shorta (IRQ) v Al Nassr (KSA)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Al Shorta (IRQ) v Al Nassr (KSA)

Baghdad: Al Shorta will aim to silence Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr when the two sides square off in their AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 opener on Monday.

The Iraqi champions will relish the tie, with Al Nassr's season having gotten off to a slow start.

Preview - MD1: Al Ain FC (UAE) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Preview - MD1: Al Ain FC (UAE) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)

Al Ain: Creating more history is what Al Ain FC will be seeking when they open their AFC Champions League Elite™2024/25 campaign against Al Sadd SC on Monday.

Winners of the inaugural edition of the AFC Champions League™ in 2003, Al Ain brought the curtains down on the prestigious tournament by lifting the trophy again in its final season and will leave no stone unturned in their bid to be the first victors of the AFC Champions League Elite.

#ACLTwo - Preview: Matchday 1

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

#ACLTwo - Preview: Matchday 1

Kuala Lumpur: The newly-minted AFC Champions League 2™ kicks off on Tuesday with 32 teams bidding to be crowned the inaugural winners.

The top two finishers from each group advance to the Round of 16, to be played in February 2025. This will be followed by the quarter-finals on March 4 2025 and semi-finals in April 2025, before the tournament culminates in a single-leg final on May 17, 2025.

The competition promises to be intense and ahead of the sides beginning their respective campaigns, the-AFC.com takes a look at what can be expected on Matchday One. 

Chae strike sends DPR Korea into semi-finals

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Chae strike sends DPR Korea into semi-finals

Medellin: DPR Korea were made to work hard but rose to the challenge to beat Brazil 1-0 in their FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 quarter-final on Sunday.

Chae Un Yong produced the goal that made the difference, it coming in the second half in a match in which the Brazilian attack tried hard but was never able to seriously threaten goalkeeper Chae Un Gyong with DPR Korea to face the United States - who defeated Germany 3-1 on penalties after their last eight tie ended 2-2 - in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Japan dethrone Spain to advance

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Japan dethrone Spain to advance

Medellin: Hiromi Yoneda struck the only goal of the game as Japan edged Spain 1-0 in their FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 quarter-final on Sunday.

In a repeat of the 2018 and 2022 finals, Japan were sharper where it mattered as they set up a semi-final against the Netherlands.