Koo: Football’s constant evolvement requires consistent hard work

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

Koo: Football’s constant evolvement requires consistent hard work

Kuala Lumpur: Former Korea Republic captain Koo Ja-cheol knows what it takes to reach the summit of football and how to stay there.

A veteran of two FIFA World Cups and the AFC Asian Cup™ 2011 top scorer, the former midfielder’s footballing journey took him from Jeju to Germany, the Olympics podium and back again.

Now working as a youth adviser at Jeju United, Koo recently spoke with the-AFC.com, sharing insights on Korea Republic, the evolution of football and what separates world class players from the rest.

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Stage set for #ACLElite and #ACLTwo preliminary battles

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025

Stage set for #ACLElite and #ACLTwo preliminary battles

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League Elite™ (ACL Elite) and AFC Champions League Two™ (ACL Two) will mark their return to action with the Preliminary Stage for the 2025/26 season, which gets underway on August 12 (Tuesday).

Four teams will vie for the two available League Stage berths in the ACL Elite while six contenders will do likewise for three Group Stage berths in the ACL Two, as confirmed by the finalised slot allocations in June.

#ChallengeLeague preliminary showdowns ready for kick-off

Thu, 07 Aug, 2025

#ChallengeLeague preliminary showdowns ready for kick-off

Kuala Lumpur: The quest to reach the AFC Challenge League™ (ACGL) 2025/26 Group Stage begins on August 12 (Tuesday) with the Preliminary Stage, which consists of nine single-leg ties.

Reaffirming the tournament’s aim to spotlight the Continent’s emerging teams and talents, the 18-strong cast—10 from the West and eight from the East—is an increase from last season, where four sides were involved at the same stage.

#U20WAC Qualifiers: MD2 Results & Reports

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

#U20WAC Qualifiers: MD2 Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday Two of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Thailand 2026 Qualifiers concluded on Friday with all the qualifying slots still up for grabs.

The eight group winners and the overall three best runners-up will join hosts Thailand at next year's Finals, setting the stage for exciting matches across the continent in the final round of fixtures on Sunday.

Stay updated on the action with the-AFC.com.

Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Draw finalised

Thu, 07 Aug, 2025

Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Draw finalised

Kuala Lumpur: The 38 teams hoping to see action at the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2026 learnt their respective qualifying routes on Thursday.

The Official Draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia saw the teams divided into seven groups — three of six teams each and four of five.

All group winners will progress to the 21st edition of the Finals, where they will join the nine AFC representatives from the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 who have automatically qualified, namely Qatar, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Korea Republic, DPR Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

The Qualifiers will be contested in a single round-robin centralised league format from November 22 to 30, 2025.

Hopefuls learn Road to China 2026 pathways

Thu, 07 Aug, 2025

Hopefuls learn Road to China 2026 pathways

Kuala Lumpur: The 27 teams vying for places in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ China 2026 discovered their challengers following the Qualifiers Draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The sides were divided into eight groups - three of four teams each and five of three — to contest a single round-robin centralised league format from October 13 to 17, 2025.
 
The eight group winners will progress to the 10th edition of the Finals, where they will be joined by the four AFC representatives from the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 who have automatically qualified, namely DPR Korea, Japan, Korea Republic and China PR, to form a 12-strong line-up — four more than the previous edition.