Matildas' opener moved to Stadium Australia

Tue, 31 Jan, 2023

Matildas' opener moved to Stadium Australia

Sydney: The first match to take place in Australia of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be an even bigger celebration, with co-host country Australia now facing the Republic of Ireland at the tournament’s largest venue, Stadium Australia, in Sydney.

Stadium Australia was due to host knockout matches only, but given the significant interest in tickets, FIFA has taken the decision to move Australia’s first match to Sydney’s largest Stadium.  
 
The kick-off time and date of the Australia v Republic of Ireland match will still be on Thursday, 20 July at 20:00 (AEST). Earlier on that day, the opening ceremony and opening match between Aotearoa New Zealand and Norway will take place at Eden Park in Auckland, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 (NZST).  

www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/2943839.html

Arnold to remain as Australia head coach

Mon, 30 Jan, 2023

Arnold to remain as Australia head coach

Sydney: Graham Arnold will continue as Australia head coach after his contract with Football Australia was extended for another four years following the Socceroos’ success at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Arnold led the Australians into the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup for only the second time in the country’s history at last year’s Finals, where the Socceroos defeated Tunisia and Denmark in the group phase of the competition.

Five memorable Asian matches

Sat, 28 Jan, 2023

Five memorable Asian matches

Kuala Lumpur: Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC are set to represent Asia in the 19th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a competition that has long provided some thrilling encounters for Asian teams over the years.

Ahead of the competition kicking-off in Morocco at the start of February, the-AFC.com takes a stroll down memory lane by exploring some of the finest matches involving Asian teams in Club World Cup history.

The Club World Cup in Stats

Fri, 27 Jan, 2023

The Club World Cup in Stats

Tangier: The FIFA Club World Cup has never failed to thrill fans with high octane action and spectacular matches.

With the Morocco 2022 kick-off fast approaching, we take a look at the global showpiece's stats over the past 18 editions. 

Ighalo: Al Hilal can win the Club World Cup

Wed, 25 Jan, 2023

Ighalo: Al Hilal can win the Club World Cup

Riyadh: Odion Ighalo crashed to the Saint Petersburg turf, desolate. A Lionel Messi wonder goal had helped extinguish his FIFA World Cup dream.

Ighalo hadn’t even departed Krestovsky Stadium by the time he was obsessing over Qatar 2022. The Nigeria striker knew he’d be 33 at the time. He was desperate to be there.
 
And he was. Yet not in a capacity Ighalo could have ever imagined. The Lagos native was part of Nigeria squad that agonisingly lost on away goals to arch-rivals Ghana in a playoff for a place at the 22nd World Cup. Ighalo nevertheless travelled to Qatar to passionately support a country he had never even stepped foot in two years ago.
 
After a fruitful spell at Al Shabab, Ighalo crossed Riyadh to join Al Hilal in January 2021 – just days before they debuted in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021. It was the start of a love affair between the player and the Saudi Arabian superpower.
 
FIFA+ caught up with Ighalo to discuss his goalscoring exploits, Al Hilal’s ambitious quest to beat the likes of Flamengo and Real Madrid to the Morocco 2022 trophy, the passion of his club’s fans, his admiration for Salem Al Dawsari, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, and his Qatar 2022 experience.

Five Asian players who impressed at the FIFA Club World Cup

Wed, 25 Jan, 2023

Five Asian players who impressed at the FIFA Club World Cup

Dubai: The FIFA Club World Cup offers clubs from the across the world an opportunity to test their skills against the finest opponents from every continent, and over the years many an Asian player has left their mark in the competition.

With the next edition, where the continent will be represented by Al Hilal SFC in Morocco, fast approaching, the-AFC.com recalls five players who impressed in the competition.