Preview – Thailand and Chinese Taipei seek berths

Thu, 16 Feb, 2023

Preview – Thailand and Chinese Taipei seek berths

Kuala Lumpur: The final three spots at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 will be up for grabs in the coming days with the Inter-Confederation playoffs kicking off in New Zealand on Saturday. 

Among the 10 teams in contention across the three groups are Thailand and Chinese Taipei with the former aiming to progress to the global showpiece for the third time in a row and the latter looking to qualify for the first time since being part of the maiden edition in 1991.
 
With co-hosts Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea Republic and Vietnam having already secured their places, should either Thailand or Chinese Taipei join them, there would be a record number of teams from the Asian continent in the tournament.  
 
Ahead of the final round of qualification, the-AFC.com shines the spotlight on the two Asian nations vying for glory. 

www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_womens_asian_cup/video/wac2022_-_playoff_02_|_chinese_taipei_3_-_0_thailand.html

J1 League 2023 – Season Preview

Thu, 16 Feb, 2023

J1 League 2023 – Season Preview

Tokyo: The 2023 J1 League campaign is set to kick off on Friday as defending champions Yokohama F. Marinos travel to their biggest rivals in recent years, Kawasaki Frontale. 

The Marinos won the 2022 edition after finishing two points ahead of Kawasaki, while between them they have picked up the past six titles dating back to 2017. 
 
As the new season approaches, the pair remain among the favourites, but plenty of other teams will hope to mount a serious challenge to become champions of Japan. 

Five memorable Al Hilal vs Shabab Al Ahli clashes

Wed, 15 Feb, 2023

Five memorable Al Hilal vs Shabab Al Ahli clashes

Dubai: Two AFC Champions League™ perennials in Al Hilal SFC and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai face-off in the Round of 16 of the 2022 edition, bringing to memory a history of classics over the years.

Ahead of their upcoming encounter in Qatar, the-AFC.com relives five of the most memorable matches between the two powerhouses who have faced each other as many as 10 times since 2009.

Saudi Arabia to host 2023 FIFA Club World Cup

Wed, 15 Feb, 2023

Saudi Arabia to host 2023 FIFA Club World Cup

Paris: Saudi Arabia will host the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal SFC reached the final of the 2022 edition in Morocco last week, losing 5-3 to European champions Real Madrid.
 
The seven-team event will take place on December 12-22.

Marinos' Muscat braced for challenging season

Wed, 15 Feb, 2023

Marinos' Muscat braced for challenging season

Tokyo: Yokohama F Marinos head coach Kevin Muscat is bracing for a testing start to the season when the new J1 League campaign begins on Friday, with his defending champions set to take on last year’s runners-up Kawasaki Frontale in the opening round.

The two clubs, who have won the last six J1 League titles between them and will represent Japan in the next edition of the AFC Champions League™, face off after F Marinos won last year’s title on the final day of the season, finishing two points ahead of Frontale.