Central Wrap: Pakhtakor climb to the summit

Fri, 05 Aug, 2022

Central Wrap: Pakhtakor climb to the summit

Tashkent: Pakhtakor FC stormed to the top of the Uzbekistan Super League after coming back from a goal down to edge bottom-placed Dinamo Samarqand 3-2 on Monday.

Pakhtakor took a 2-1 lead going into the break but needed a late goal from new signing Przemysław Banaszak to seal the three points at the Pakhtakor Stadium.

Maksim Shatskikh’s side have 26 points and are ahead of FC Sogdiana, who registered a 2-0 win over FC Bunyodkor, on goal difference. 

PFC Navbahor Namangan, who are third and a point behind, will face FC Nasaf on Tuesday.

Yamashita becomes Japan's first woman pro referee

Tue, 02 Aug, 2022

Yamashita becomes Japan's first woman pro referee

Tokyo: Yoshimi Yamashita became Japan's first woman professional football referee on Monday and said she was happy to "make a splash" as she prepares to create history at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Yamashita, 36, was named in May alongside France's Stephanie Frappart and Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga as officials for Qatar 2022 later this year – the first women to referee at a men's World Cup.

Qatar 2022 final venue to stage Lusail Super Cup on September 9

Tue, 02 Aug, 2022

Qatar 2022 final venue to stage Lusail Super Cup on September 9

Doha: Qatar’s biggest stadium and the stage for this year’s FIFA World Cup final will host a special event on September 9. 

The 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium will stage the Lusail Super Cup between Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal SFC and the Egyptian Premier League winners, followed by a concert. 

Fresh dawn for Philippines as new headquarters breaks ground

Mon, 01 Aug, 2022

Fresh dawn for Philippines as new headquarters breaks ground

Carmona: For the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) 2022 is shaping as a milestone year. It began with the national team sealing maiden qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup™, a feat that seemed barely believable for many just a few short years ago. Now firm foundations have been put in place to secure the future of the nation’s football, with PFF celebrating the commencement of their new headquarters with a ground-breaking ceremony taking place on Saturday.

Supported with significant funding from the FIFA Forward Programme, the new headquarters will provide spacious offices with modern facilities replacing the current premises - also a FIFA-funded project built in 2007. 

Four Member Associations express interest to host AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026

Mon, 01 Aug, 2022

Four Member Associations express interest to host AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026

Kuala Lumpur: Following the invitation to all Member Associations (MAs) to express their interest in hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ 2026 by July 31, 2022, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed today it has received expressions of interest from four MAs. 

The four MAs who have signalled their intention to stage Asia’s premier women’s football national team tournament are (in alphabetical order by country): Football Australia, Jordan Football Association (JFA), Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA).

Schedule for new club competitions’ seasons confirmed

Mon, 01 Aug, 2022

Schedule for new club competitions’ seasons confirmed

Kuala Lumpur: Following the decision to transition the AFC Club Competitions from its current Spring-Autumn season to Autumn-Spring on February 25, 2022, the AFC Executive Committee has today approved the new calendar of the 2023/2024 AFC Champions League™ and AFC Cup™ seasons.

The AFC Champions League™ 2023/2024 edition is set to kick off with the Preliminary Stage 1 on August 8, 2023, while the Group Stage is scheduled to take place from September 18 to December 13, 2023. 

Asia’s pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup™ 2027 confirmed

Mon, 01 Aug, 2022

Asia’s pathway to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup™ 2027 confirmed

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has approved the qualification format for Asia’s Road to the FIFA World Cup 2026 as well as the AFC Asian Cup™ 2027 in preparation of the eight direct spots and single Intercontinental Playoff slot allocated to the AFC by FIFA following the expansion of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to 48 teams. 

The new qualification format has been established after several consultation and dialogue sessions with the AFC Member Associations (MAs), briefings with the AFC Competitions Committee, as well as the Confederation’s key stakeholders.