IR Iran shine, win continues to elude Korea Republic

Fri, 08 Sep, 2023

IR Iran shine, win continues to elude Korea Republic

Kuala Lumpur: A busy night of international friendlies on Thursday saw Islamic Republic of Iran defeating Bulgaria 1-0, Korea Republic playing to a goalless stalemate with Wales while Qatar suffered a 2-1 defeat to Kenya.

Thailand and Iraq advanced to the 2023 King's Cup final as Asia's national teams used the ongoing international break to continue their preparations for the Preliminary Joint Qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ and AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™.

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Journey to 2026 begins

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Journey to 2026 begins

Kuala Lumpur: The long qualifying road for the FIFA World Cup 26 kicks off on Thursday with teams hoping to take their place amongst the expanded cast of 48 teams.

South American sides will be the first in action with preliminary competitions for Asia and Africa also to take off before the end of the year as nations battle it out for spots at the global Finals.
 
We take a look at the qualifying process and more for the tournament which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA.

#AFCU23 Qatar 2024 Qualifiers: MD1 Results & Reports

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

#AFCU23 Qatar 2024 Qualifiers: MD1 Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: The race to reach the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Qatar 2024 saw high octane action with the hopefuls kicking off their qualifying campaigns. 

The 11 group winners, together with the four best second-placed teams overall, will form the final cast of 16 alongside automatically-qualified hosts Qatar at the sixth edition of the competition, set to be played between April 15 to May 3, 2024.
 
Stay updated on all the thrills and spills with the-AFC.com.

Draw sets stage for thrilling action

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Draw sets stage for thrilling action

Kuala Lumpur: Top-seeded Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies of Japan will start their challenge for the AFC Women’s Club Championship™ 2023 - Invitational Tournament title in Group A following the official draw in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

Second seeds Sydney FC, the Australian champions, will headline Group B for the fourth edition of the tournament.

Wins for Oman, Bhutan; Malaysia hold Syria

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Wins for Oman, Bhutan; Malaysia hold Syria

Kuala Lumpur: Oman came from a goal down to defeat Palestine 2-1 in an international friendly on Wednesday while Malaysia scored twice in the second half to force a 2-2 draw with Syria.

Bhutan, meanwhile, defeated Macau 1-0 in a meeting between two teams preparing for Round 1 of the Preliminary Joint Qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Asian stars in the running for Ballon d'Or awards

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Asian stars in the running for Ballon d'Or awards

Paris: Japan's Hinata Miyazawa and Yui Hasegawa, together with Australia's Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso, have been nominated for the 2023 Women's Ballon d'Or award. 

Korea Republic's Kim Min Jae, meanwhile, is the sole Asian player nominated for the 2023 Men's Ballon d'Or award.

Miyazawa joins Manchester United

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Miyazawa joins Manchester United

Manchester: Japan international and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 top scorer Hinata Miyazawa has joined Manchester United Women from WE League side Mynavi Sendai, the English club confirmed on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old midfielder, who scored five times in four games for the Nadeshiko during their run to the quarter-finals, has joined the FA Women’s Super League side on a permanent deal.

Fellaini to leave Shandong Taishan

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Fellaini to leave Shandong Taishan

Jinan: Former Manchester United and Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini has announced he will leave Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan at the end of the current season.

The 35-year-old, who joined Shandong from the Old Trafford-based outfit in January 2019, helped guide the club to the Chinese Super League title in 2021 as well as three consecutive Chinese FA Cup wins in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Gray joins Al Ettifaq from Everton

Fri, 08 Sep, 2023

Gray joins Al Ettifaq from Everton

London: Demarai Gray left Everton for Al Ettifaq ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline in the Saudi Pro League.

The 27-year-old forward is the latest Premier League player to head to Saudi Arabia, joining former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson at the club managed by Steven Gerrard.