Late strike secures Uzbekistan glory

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Late strike secures Uzbekistan glory

Tashkent: Khojiakbar Alijonov broke Islamic Republic of Iran’s hearts when his 120th-minute strike secured Uzbekistan a last gasp 1-0 victory, clinching the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 title at the Olympic City Stadium on Monday.

In the third-place playoff in Hisor, India keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu capped a resilient display by saving Al Yahmadi’s decisive spot-kick after a tense shootout, sealing a 3-2 win over Oman.

Preview - Qualifiers: Matchday Three

Sun, 07 Sep, 2025

Preview - Qualifiers: Matchday Three

Kuala Lumpur: The cast for the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2026 will be finalised on Matchday Three of the Qualifiers on Tuesday.

The 11 group winners and four best runners-up overall will join hosts Saudi Arabia at the Finals.
 
Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the state of play across the groups.

#AWCL group showdowns to take shape

Wed, 03 Sep, 2025

#AWCL group showdowns to take shape

Kuala Lumpur: The cast of the AFC Women’s Champions League™ 2025/26 are set to discover their Group Stage opponents on September 11 (Thursday) when the official draw takes place at 3pm.

To be conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, the 12-strong final line-up for the second edition will be divided into three equal groups and do battle in a centralised league format between November 9 to 23, 2025.

Iraq edge Thailand to lift King’s Cup

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Iraq edge Thailand to lift King’s Cup

Kanchanaburi: Iraq overcame going down to nine men to defeat Thailand 1-0 in the final of the 2025 King’s Cup on Sunday.

Mohanad Ali - who scored twice in the 2-1 win against Hong Kong, China on Thursday - was once again the hero for Graham Arnold’s side, netting in the 75th minute from an Ibrahim Bayesh pass.

Najhi: Win a confidence booster for Jordan

Sun, 07 Sep, 2025

Najhi: Win a confidence booster for Jordan

Amman: Head coach Omar Najhi is counting on the 6-0 win against Chinese Taipei on Saturday to be the catalyst for Jordan’s qualification for the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2026.

Group A of the Qualifiers is finely poised with both Jordan and Turkmenistan on six points and their meeting on Tuesday will decide who takes the automatic spot from the group and Najhi is hoping it is the West Asian side.

Al Sanini praises Yemen’s resilience

Sun, 07 Sep, 2025

Al Sanini praises Yemen’s resilience

Viet Tri:  Yemen head coach Amin Al Sanini hailed his players’ resilience after substitute Mohammed Esam Al Awami struck deep in stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh in Group C of the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers on Saturday.

Bangladesh enjoyed spells of possession and frustrated Yemen, who ultimately brought on Al Awami in the second minute of added time with the forward capitalising two minutes later to seal the win.