LATEST NEWS - MFF

Sri Lanka, Brunei shine in pilot FIFA Series

Fri, 29 Mar, 2024

Sri Lanka, Brunei shine in pilot FIFA Series

Kuala Lumpur: The inaugural FIFA Series took place across six different locations over the recent international period featuring 24 teams from all over the world including five from Asia.

Mongolia, Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, Sri Lanka and Bhutan were all part of the new FIFA initiative, so join the-AFC.com as we recap how these teams fared.

East Asia Wrap: Newcomers Machida rise to top; Sangmu edge Jeonbuk

Mon, 18 Mar, 2024

East Asia Wrap: Newcomers Machida rise to top; Sangmu edge Jeonbuk

Hong Kong: Machida Zelvia, who got promoted to the J1 League as the 2023 Japanese second division champions, climbed to the top of the table four games into the campaign when they defeated Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 2-1 at Sapporo Dome on Saturday. 

After scoring twice in a defeat to Ulsan Hyundai last week, Kim Hyeon-ug was again on target for Gimcheon Sangmu on Sunday as they defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1-0 while reigning champions Ulsan have a one-point lead at the top despite a 3-3 draw with Incheon United. 
 
Kitchee SC moved two points behind leaders Lee Man with a 3-0 win against Sham Shui Po in the Hong Kong Premier League on Sunday while matches also took place in Mongolia, Macau and Guam, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

East Asia Wrap: Vissel fight back against Tokyo; Ulsan stay perfect

Mon, 11 Mar, 2024

East Asia Wrap: Vissel fight back against Tokyo; Ulsan stay perfect

Hong Kong: Yuya Osako's superb free-kick sealed reigning champions Vissel Kobe’s comeback win against FC Tokyo in the J1 League on Saturday while Sanfrecce Hiroshima defeated Sagan Tosu 4-0 to move to the top of the table. 

Defending champions Ulsan Hyundai posted their second win from as many matches in K League 1 as they denied a Gimcheon Sangmu comeback to post a 3-2 win on Saturday while Gwangju are the only other team to maintain their perfect start in Korea Republic after a 4-2 win against Gangwon on Sunday. 
 
Shanghai Shenhua defeated Qingdao West Coast 2-0 on Friday and are the only side to win their first two matches in the Chinese Super League and matches also took place in Hong Kong, Mongolia, Macau and Guam, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan edge Pohang in derby; Jubilo stun Kawasaki

Mon, 04 Mar, 2024

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan edge Pohang in derby; Jubilo stun Kawasaki

Hong Kong: Ataru Esaka’s fortuitous goal six minutes into the second half settled the East Coast derby as reigning champions Ulsan Hyundai kicked off their K League 1 campaign with a 1-0 win over last season’s runners-up Pohang Steelers in Korea Republic on Friday. 

Defending J1 League champions Vissel Kobe were beaten 1-0 by Kashiwa Reysol but the biggest upset of the week unfurled at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium where newcomers Jubilo Iwata edged four-time champions Kawasaki Frontale 5-4 with four goals from Ryo Germain. 
 
Wu Lei scored twice to hand defending champions Shanghai Port a win against Wuhan Three Towns in Kevin Muscat’s first league fixture in charge in China PR while matches also took place in Hong Kong and Mongolia, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

Group I: Loss to Ulaanbaatar fails to stop Taichung Futuro

Thu, 14 Dec, 2023

Group I: Loss to Ulaanbaatar fails to stop Taichung Futuro

Kaohsiung: Taichung Futuro advanced to the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Inter-Zone semi-finals despite falling to a 2-1 against FC Ulaanbaatar of Mongolia in their final Group I tie on Thursday.

With fellow Chinese Taipei side Tainan City losing 4-1 to Macau's Must CPK, Taichung booked a spot ahead of Ulaanbaatar on better head-to-head goal difference, with both sides finishing with 12 points. 

Group I: Tainan City FC (TPE) 3-0 FC Ulaanbaatar (MNG)

Thu, 30 Nov, 2023

Group I: Tainan City FC (TPE) 3-0 FC Ulaanbaatar (MNG)

Kaohsiung: Ange Samuel Kouame struck 12 minutes from time to send Tainan City’s on their way to a 3-0 win over Ulaanbataar on Thursday and keep his side’s hopes of claiming a place in the next phase of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 alive.

Kouame scored from the edge of the area before injury time goals from Lin Ming-wei and Lin Wei-chieh earned the side from Chinese Taipei their second win of the campaign and move to within six points of leaders Taichung Futuro having played one game fewer.

Group I: FC Ulaanbaatar (MNG) 1-0 Must CPK (MAC)

Thu, 09 Nov, 2023

Group I: FC Ulaanbaatar (MNG) 1-0 Must CPK (MAC)

Ulaanbaatar: Nemanja Krusevac scored the game’s only goal as FC Ulaanbaatar secured their third win of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Must CPK in Group I at MFF Stadium on Thursday.

CPK did give the Mongolian side a scare in the first half when a Bruno Araujo free-kick hit the crossbar, but Serbian midfielder Krusevac’s first half strike proved to be the difference.
 
The result sees Ulaanbaatar complete the double over the Macanese outfit, having previously won by the same scoreline on Matchday Three in Macau.

East Asia Wrap: Pohang win FA Cup; Fukuoka script history

Mon, 06 Nov, 2023

East Asia Wrap: Pohang win FA Cup; Fukuoka script history

Hong Kong: A stunning late surge from Pohang Steelers helped them get the better of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final at the Steelyard on Saturday and win their fifth FA Cup title in Korea Republic to become the joint most successful club in the tournament’s history. 

In Japan, Avispa Fukuoka won the first major piece of silverware in their 41-year history after they defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 in the final of the J.League Cup in Tokyo’s Japan National Stadium in front of a crowd of nearly 62,000 on Saturday. 
 
Dalian Pro’s six-year stay in the top division came to an end with a defeat on the final matchday in China PR while there were also matches taking place in Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Mongolia, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

AFC President reinforces support towards Mongolian football

Mon, 30 Oct, 2023

AFC President reinforces support towards Mongolian football

Doha: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa today held a productive meeting with Mongolian Football Federation (MFF) President Bold Molomjamts at the AFC Annual Awards Doha 2022 in Qatar. 

The AFC President congratulated newly elected President Bold Molomjamts on the overwhelming mandate that he received at the 12th MFF Elective Ordinary Congress in July this year, adding that his success was a fitting tribute to the belief of the Mongolian football community in his leadership.

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan Hyundai, Shanghai Port seal league titles

Mon, 30 Oct, 2023

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan Hyundai, Shanghai Port seal league titles

Hong Kong: Ulsan Hyundai FC secured their first-ever back-to-back league triumph in Korea Republic after Hong Myung-bo’s side defeated Daegu FC 2-0 at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on Sunday to take an unassailable 10-point lead over second-placed Pohang Steelers.

A 1-1 draw with their closest challengers Shandong Taishan in the penultimate round on Sunday helped Shanghai Port secure their first league title in China PR since 2018, but the relegation battle between Nantong Zhiyun and Dalian Pro will go into the final day with only two points separating them. 
 
Defending champions Yokohama F. Marinos defeated Avispa Fukuoka 4-0 on Saturday to reduce the gap to leaders Vissel Kobe to two points in Japan while there were also matches in Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Mongolia, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.

Group I: Must CPK (MAC) 0-1 FC Ulaanbaatar (MNG)

Thu, 26 Oct, 2023

Group I: Must CPK (MAC) 0-1 FC Ulaanbaatar (MNG)

Macau: Mongolia’s FC Ulaanbaatar registered their second win in three matches in Group I of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 after they edged MUST CPK 1-0 at Macau Olympic Stadium on Thursday. 

Oyunbaataryn Mijiddorj scored the only goal of the game in the 40th minute heading in from a corner kick as the Mongolian champions bounced back from a 2-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Futuro FC on Matchday Two. 

East Asia Wrap: Shanghai Port loss reignites title race; Vissel inch closer

Mon, 23 Oct, 2023

East Asia Wrap: Shanghai Port loss reignites title race; Vissel inch closer

Hong Kong: A 2-1 defeat for leaders Shanghai Port at the hands of Beijing FC on Friday threw the title race wide open in China PR with second-placed Shandong Taishan reducing the deficit to five points and the top two facing each other in a decisive clash on Sunday.

The title race in Japan also remains a close contest after frontrunners Vissel Kobe defeated Kashima Antlers 3-1 on Saturday, but Yokohama F. Marinos’ 4-1 win against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo meant the defending champions remain four points behind with four matches left of the campaign.   
 
Leaders Ulsan Hyundai suffered a late 1-0 defeat at the hands of Gwangju FC in the first match since the league was split into two in Korea Republic while there were also matches in Hong Kong, Mongolia and Guam, so join the-AFC.com as we bring you up to speed with the action from across East Asia.