Olaroiu hails UAE's spirit

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025

Olaroiu hails UAE's spirit

Doha: Cosmin Olaroiu was proud of the resilience shown by the United Arab Emirates in the 2-1 win against Oman in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Playoffs on Saturday.

Trailing to Kouame Kouadio's first half own goal, UAE turned on the power in the closing minutes of the tie to turn the match around, with Marcus Meloni and Caio Lucas scoring to keep their hopes of a second FIFA World Cup Finals appearance alive.

www.the-afc.com/en/national/asian_qualifiers.html/video/asianqualifiers-road-to-26-playoffs-|-group-a-uae-2-1-oman

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Iraq's Arnold demands focus after Indonesia win

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025

Iraq's Arnold demands focus after Indonesia win

Jeddah: Iraq head coach Graham Arnold wasted little time in turning his attention to Tuesday’s crunch AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Playoffs clash with Saudi Arabia after his side notched up a 1-0 win over Indonesia in Jeddah on Saturday.

Zidane Iqbal’s strike 14 minutes from time earned the Iraqis a narrow victory to set up the showdown between the West Asian sides while ending Indonesia’s hopes of a first FIFA World Cup appearance since the country’s independence in 1949.

Playoffs - Group A: UAE 2-1 Oman

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025

Playoffs - Group A: UAE 2-1 Oman

Doha: United Arab Emirates produced a remarkable turnaround to defeat Oman 2-1 in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Playoffs on Saturday.

Goals in the closing minutes of the match completed a comeback with the victory meaning UAE only have to avoid defeat against Qatar on Tuesday to book their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026 while Oman’s dreams were dashed as they ended their campaign with a single point.

Playoffs - Group B: Iraq 1-0 Indonesia

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025

Playoffs - Group B: Iraq 1-0 Indonesia

Jeddah: Zidane Iqbal struck 14 minutes from time to earn Iraq a 1-0 win over Indonesia on Saturday in Group B of the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Playoffs at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to take his nation a step closer to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The win means Graham Arnold’s side will go into Tuesday’s clash with Saudi Arabia knowing victory over Herve Renard’s team will qualify the nation for their first Finals since 1986 while Indonesia’s hopes were extinguished by the narrow loss.
 
Patrick Kluivert’s side will finish bottom of Group B having already suffered defeat by the Saudis in their opening game on Wednesday.

Qualifiers Final Round - MD3: 5 Takeaways

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

Qualifiers Final Round - MD3: 5 Takeaways

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday Three of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Qualifiers Final Round was a sizzling affair with all 12 matches delivering thrills and spills.

Clear favourites began to emerge while there were also last gasp wins and draws.

The-AFC.com highlights five key takeaways from a pulsating matchday.

#ACLTwo – Vote for your Visa Top Goals of MD2

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

#ACLTwo – Vote for your Visa Top Goals of MD2

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday 2 in the AFC Champions League Two™ brought the full spectrum: slick team moves, solo surges from deep, and ice-cold finishes that shifted momentum in an instant.

We've shortlisted eight strikes from West to East—now it's your call. Relive the moments below, feel the swing of each goal, and back your favourite.