Al Taamari, Olwan to spearhead Jordan challenge

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Al Taamari, Olwan to spearhead Jordan challenge

Amman: Musa Al Taamari and Ali Olwan will lead Jordan's historic challenge at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with the nation set to make their debut appearance on football's biggest stage.

Head coach Jamal Sellami named his final 26-man squad, with Rennes winger Al Taamari and prolific forward Olwan expected to play key roles as Jordan seek to progress from a difficult Group J.

Afif, Ali to power Qatar

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Afif, Ali to power Qatar

Doha: Akram Afif and Almoez Ali will be at the forefront as head coach Julen Lopetegui named Qatar's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday.

Set to appear on the global stage on merit for the first time after hosting the 2022 edition, Qatar will face co-hosts Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland in Group B.

Know your team: Saudi Arabia

Mon, 01 Jun, 2026

Know your team: Saudi Arabia

Kuala Lumpur: Saudi Arabia's immediate target at the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be to advance past the group stage.

Having survived a tough qualifying campaign to book their ticket to global showpiece to be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, Saudi Arabia will be determined to maximise the strength of their squad and lessons learnt from four years ago.

'Like a dream' as Cho gets late Korea Republic call-up

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

'Like a dream' as Cho gets late Korea Republic call-up

Seoul: Cho Wi-je was playing in Korea Republic's second division a year ago. Now he is heading to the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being called up as a late injury replacement.

The 24-year-old defender has been drafted into Korea Republic's squad after Cho Yu-min was ruled out with a foot injury following the 5-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

Cho was already with the squad as a training partner and now he is in contention to play against Korea Republic's Group A opponents South Africa, Czechia and co-hosts Mexico.

Asian Moments: 2014

Mon, 01 Jun, 2026

Asian Moments: 2014

Kuala Lumpur: We are getting closer and closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026, and as the global showpiece is expanded to 48 teams, the-AFC.com continues its series where we revisit the performances of Asian teams in the prestigious tournament over the years.

Korea Republic, Japan and Australia continued their tradition of representing Asia, while 2014 marked a return after 16 years of absence for Islamic Republic of Iran, but unlike in South Africa four years earlier, there would be no AFC representation in the knockout stage this time.