Preview - Group H: United Arab Emirates v Bahrain; Yemen v Nepal

Mon, 10 Jun, 2024

Preview - Group H: United Arab Emirates v Bahrain; Yemen v Nepal

Dubai: United Arab Emirates will be aiming to maintain their perfect record when they meet Bahrain in Group H of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Both sides have already secured their places in the next round, with the result of Matchday Six causing no change in the standings, with UAE having a five-point lead.

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Preview - Group I: Australia v Palestine; Lebanon v Bangladesh

Mon, 10 Jun, 2024

Preview - Group I: Australia v Palestine; Lebanon v Bangladesh

Perth: Australia and Palestine are set for an exciting showdown when they two sides meet in Group H of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Tuesday.

Both have secured their places in the next round with Australia winning all five of their group matches, while Palestine created history when they booked their spot with a draw on Matchday Five.

Matchday 6: Five things to look out for

Sun, 09 Jun, 2024

Matchday 6: Five things to look out for

Kuala Lumpur: Matchday Five of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ lived up to expectations with another round of sizzling action.

With several more teams having confirmed their spots in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and booked their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, Tuesday will see last-ditch efforts by those still in the running.

The-AFC.com highlights five things to look out for on Matchday Six.

#AsianQualifiers - The Matchday 5 Star Performers

Sat, 08 Jun, 2024

#AsianQualifiers - The Matchday 5 Star Performers

Kuala Lumpur: Several players caught the eyes of Asian football fans as Korea Republic, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and Palestine became the latest sides to progress from the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday. 

From Son Heung-min finding his seventh goal of the campaign to Ali Jasim coming off the bench to guide Iraq to a hard-fought win in Jakarta, there were several scintillating individual displays on the penultimate matchday as 13 of the 18 spots in the AFC Asian Cup finals and the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers have now been decided.
 
With the second round set to conclude with the final set of fixtures on Tuesday, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the stars who impressed on Matchday Five of the qualification campaign. 

Battat dedicates historic qualification to Palestine

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Battat dedicates historic qualification to Palestine

Doha: Captain Mus'ab Al Battat expressed the squad's pride after Palestine secured qualification to the third stage of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time on Thursday.

A goalless stalemate with Lebanon in Group I of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ was enough for Palestine to secure second place.

The result also meant a fourth consecutive appearance in the AFC Asian Cup Finals, with the West Asian side having advanced to the knockout stage for the first time at Qatar 2023.

Talajic hails Bahrain’s resilience

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Talajic hails Bahrain’s resilience

Riffa: Head coach Dragan Talajic expressed his delight after Bahrain secured the point they needed against Yemen in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group H tie on Thursday.

The point meant Bahrain confirmed their place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and booked a spot in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals.

Ammouta happy to see Jordan thriving under pressure

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Ammouta happy to see Jordan thriving under pressure

Amman: Following a hugely successful AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, Hussein Ammouta knew the pressure was on for Jordan to march into the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and Al Nashama did just that after defeating Tajikistan 3-0 on Thursday.

The win achieved on home soil through goals from Ali Olwan, Yazan Al-Naimat and Ibrahim Sa’deh also meant that Jordan qualified for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Heading into the game two points ahead of Tajikistan, Ammouta’s initial plan was to give his younger players the chance to start but ultimately changed his mind.

Perfect tactics secured victory, says Oman’s Mushaifri

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Perfect tactics secured victory, says Oman’s Mushaifri

Taipei: Hat-trick hero Abdul Rahman Al Mushaifri credited head coach Jaroslav Silhavy’s well laid plans for Oman’s win over Chinese Taipei in Group D of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday. 

The 3-0 win secured Oman their spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the second edition in a row and also confirmed their ticket to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

Mushaifri was the star of the show, netting in the 31st, 55th and 75th minutes as Oman moved to 12 points, with Kyrgyz Republic their opponents in a top-of-the-table clash on Tuesday.

Son applauds young Korea Republic teammates

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Son applauds young Korea Republic teammates

Singapore: Son Heung-min paid tribute to seven new teammates after Korea Republic advanced to the next stage of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying on Thursday.

Son and Lee Kang-in netted braces as Korea Republic eased to a 7-0 win against Singapore in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie, with the result confirming the East Asian side as the Group C winners. 

The Tottenham Hotspur forward was effusive in his praise for his teammates, with interim head coach Kim Do-hoon naming seven first-timers to the squad with five seeing action against Singapore. 

Vietnam’s positivity delights Kim

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Vietnam’s positivity delights Kim

Hanoi: Kim Sang-sik made a winning start to life as the head coach of Vietnam after his team worked hard to secure a 3-2 win over Philippines in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group F tie on Thursday.

The thrilling match was tied 2-2 with Pham Tuan Tai emerging Vietnam’s hero with the winning goal in the fifth minute of added time to keep his team in the running for a top two spot, with Kim praising his clinical forwards and general mood in the squad. 

Participants gain valuable insights at AFC Women’s Football Online Session 2024

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Participants gain valuable insights at AFC Women’s Football Online Session 2024

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s unwavering commitment towards promoting and developing women’s football was further underlined when it conducted the AFC Women's Football Online Session 2024 on Thursday.

Chaired by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, the virtual session saw technical staff from the AFC’s Member Associations (MAs) come together to exchange learnings on the recently concluded AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2024 and AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ Indonesia 2024, both of which returned after a hiatus of five years.