IR Iran primed to defend title

Fri, 27 Jan, 2023

IR Iran primed to defend title

Tashkent: Defending champions Islamic Republic of Iran will start as favourites when the CAFA Women's Futsal Championship 2023 kicks off on Friday.

Having won last year's inagural edition, standing in Iran's way for back-to-back titles will be hosts Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.

Korea Republic's Bell aiming for deep run at global showpiece

Fri, 27 Jan, 2023

Korea Republic's Bell aiming for deep run at global showpiece

Seoul: Head coach Colin Bell will leave no stone unturned in his bid to ensure Korea Republic enjoy an extended run in the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

The East Asian side will be appearing in their third consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup and fourth overall with their Round of 16 appearance in the 2015 edition their best return to date and Bell is determined to change that. 

Al Nassr, Al Hilal exit Saudi Super Cup

Fri, 27 Jan, 2023

Al Nassr, Al Hilal exit Saudi Super Cup

Riyadh: There was no Saudi Super Cup cheer for Cristiano Ronaldo after Al Nassr suffered a 3-1 semi-final defeat to Al Ittihad on Thursday. 

Defending champions Al Hilal SFC were also shown the exit following a 1-0 loss to Al Feiha. 

Ighalo: Al Hilal can win the Club World Cup

Wed, 25 Jan, 2023

Ighalo: Al Hilal can win the Club World Cup

Riyadh: Odion Ighalo crashed to the Saint Petersburg turf, desolate. A Lionel Messi wonder goal had helped extinguish his FIFA World Cup dream.

Ighalo hadn’t even departed Krestovsky Stadium by the time he was obsessing over Qatar 2022. The Nigeria striker knew he’d be 33 at the time. He was desperate to be there.
 
And he was. Yet not in a capacity Ighalo could have ever imagined. The Lagos native was part of Nigeria squad that agonisingly lost on away goals to arch-rivals Ghana in a playoff for a place at the 22nd World Cup. Ighalo nevertheless travelled to Qatar to passionately support a country he had never even stepped foot in two years ago.
 
After a fruitful spell at Al Shabab, Ighalo crossed Riyadh to join Al Hilal in January 2021 – just days before they debuted in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021. It was the start of a love affair between the player and the Saudi Arabian superpower.
 
FIFA+ caught up with Ighalo to discuss his goalscoring exploits, Al Hilal’s ambitious quest to beat the likes of Flamengo and Real Madrid to the Morocco 2022 trophy, the passion of his club’s fans, his admiration for Salem Al Dawsari, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, and his Qatar 2022 experience.

Five Asian players who impressed at the FIFA Club World Cup

Wed, 25 Jan, 2023

Five Asian players who impressed at the FIFA Club World Cup

Dubai: The FIFA Club World Cup offers clubs from the across the world an opportunity to test their skills against the finest opponents from every continent, and over the years many an Asian player has left their mark in the competition.

With the next edition, where the continent will be represented by Al Hilal SFC in Morocco, fast approaching, the-AFC.com recalls five players who impressed in the competition.

UAE Pro League: Mid-season review

Thu, 26 Jan, 2023

UAE Pro League: Mid-season review

Dubai: A thrilling UAE Pro League season reaches the halfway point having been paused for nearly two months due to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the 25th Gulf Cup.

As the second half of the campaign gets underway, the-AFC.com looks back at the twists and tales that made up for one of the most exciting seasons of the top division of UAE football.