Cabrera hails Bangladesh’s drive, resilience

Wed, 18 Oct, 2023

Cabrera hails Bangladesh’s drive, resilience

Dhaka: Javier Cabrera hailed Bangladesh’s great progress after the South Asian side reached Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Preliminary Joint Qualification at the expense of a higher-ranked Maldives on Tuesday.

The 3-2 Round 1 aggregate win capped the incredible work the team had put in since Cabrera took over as head coach in January 2022, with the Spaniard extremely pleased to see their sacrifices come to fruition.

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Myanmar's Feichtenbeiner relishing Round 2 challenge

Wed, 18 Oct, 2023

Myanmar's Feichtenbeiner relishing Round 2 challenge

Macau: Myanmar head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner wants his players to view their upcoming clash with Japan as a chance to further improve after the Southeast Asians booked their place in the next phase of the Joint Qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Myanmar were held to a 0-0 draw by Macau on Tuesday but will face four-time AFC Asian Cup winners Japan as well as DPR Korea and Syria in Group B of the second round after a 5-1 win in the first leg in Yangon on Thursday had put them in pole position to progress.

Annese: Qualification was important for Nepal

Wed, 18 Oct, 2023

Annese: Qualification was important for Nepal

Vientiane: Vincenzo Annese was delighted after Nepal took their place alongside 35 other teams in Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Preliminary Joint Qualification after navigating 2-1 past Laos on aggregate.

Going into the second leg tied 1-1, Manish Dangi’s second half goal proved pivotal to send Nepal through leaving head coach Annese with plenty to smile about.

Round 2 set for take off

Tue, 17 Oct, 2023

Round 2 set for take off

Kuala Lumpur: The cast for Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Preliminary Joint Qualification was finalised on Tuesday.

History makers Pakistan led nine other teams from Round 1 after an exciting day of second leg matches, with the South Asian side booking their spot after a 1-0 aggregate win over Cambodia.

Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 (2nd Leg): Results & Reports

Tue, 17 Oct, 2023

Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 (2nd Leg): Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: The first hurdle in the quest to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ was overcome on Tuesday with the conclusion of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1.

Ten teams advance to Round 2, where they will join 26 other sides so stay updated on all the action with the-AFC.com.

China PR at the AFC Asian Cup

Wed, 18 Oct, 2023

China PR at the AFC Asian Cup

Kuala Lumpur: China PR have a rich history at the AFC Asian Cup but the title has continued to elude them.

As the East Asian side work towards rectifying that, the-AFC.com takes a look at some key facts and figures about China PR at the continental showpiece.

Bahrain at the AFC Asian Cup™

Tue, 17 Oct, 2023

Bahrain at the AFC Asian Cup™

Kuala Lumpur: Bahrain will be determined to make an impact in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 after suffering a Round of 16 exit in the previous edition.

As the West Asian side prepare for the continental showpiece, the-AFC.com takes a look at some interesting facts and figures.

Australia at the AFC Asian Cup™

Mon, 16 Oct, 2023

Australia at the AFC Asian Cup™

Kuala Lumpur: Australia will be aiming for a second AFC Asian Cup™ title at Qatar 2023. 

Drawn in Group B, the Socceroos will have Uzbekistan, Syria and India for company.
 
The-AFC.com takes a look at some interesting Australian facts and figures as the countdown to Qatar 2023 continues.

Greatest AFC Asian Cup™ Coaches

Fri, 13 Oct, 2023

Greatest AFC Asian Cup™ Coaches

Kuala Lumpur: They are Asian football’s great managers, motivators and masterminds.

More importantly, they are head coaches who steered their teams to AFC Asian Cup™ glory as head coaches. 
 
As the countdown continues to the 18th edition of the tournament in Qatar, join us as we examine the successes of 10 of Asia’s all-time coaching greats, and help us to celebrate their respective AFC Asian Cup successes by voting your favourite.