As the host nation, Qatar have automatically qualified for the tournament, but were invited by UEFA - the sport's governing body in Europe - to get match practise in the European Qualifiers.

The reigning AFC Asian Cup champions' "home" fixtures will be played in Europe to facilitate shorter travel times for their group opponents.

As the kick-off date for the historic 2021 edition approaches, the-AFC.com looks back at the 2020 tournament which turned out to be a thrilling affair despite the challenging circumstances.

We kicked off the series in style with fans voting Persepolis FC's Mehdi Abdi Qara as the winner of the Best Headers of 2020, Ramin Rezaeian of Al Duhail topped the Best Free-kicks of 2020, while Al Nassr's Abdulrahman Al Obaid won the Best Long-Range Goals of 2020.

Our next instalment looks at the fabulous goals scored from collective effort and invites you, the fan, to tell us which was your favourite.

With our goalkeeper selected, we turn our attention to the competition's outstanding defenders, with 12 possible candidates to fill the three available places in our team's 3-4-3 formation.

It has been said that while attackers sell tickets, defenders win titles and what better proof than this week's collection of nominees?

With several cherished names in the mix, and 16 AFC Cup titles between them, the competition will be fierce, so analyse our shortlist carefully and don't forget to register your vote!

Ng, who is replacing caretaker coach Ratna Suffian, was selected from a list of over 160 applicants.

The appointment came in conjunction with the AFC Women's Football Day celebrations on Sunday that featured 110 women players.

As one of the greatest women footballers in the world, Sun has achieved many accomplishments including winning the FIFA Female Player of the Century, the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999 as well as the AFC Women's Player of the Year award in the same year.

To mark International Women's Day, FIFA.com spoke at length with the coaching prodigy, who is currently in charge of China PR’s U-16 women’s team. The conversation underlined the 32-year-old’s humility, in recalling her considerable achievements to date; her intelligence, when discussing women’s place in Asian culture; and her respect, when talking about role models and mentors like David Beckham and Corinne Diacre.

Coinciding with the International Women’s Day, 34 MAs have pledged to join the annual celebrations with fun-filled initiatives including tournaments, workshops and webinars, while putting in place strict hygiene protocols and health regulations in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.