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Asia's hopefuls discover challengers

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Asia's hopefuls discover challengers

Washington: Asia's representatives learnt their FIFA World Cup 2026 challengers following the conclusion of the draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday.

The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups for the global showpiece which will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States on June 11-July 19, 2026.

Final draw: All you need to know

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Final draw: All you need to know

Kuala Lumpur: The Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be held on Friday and it promises to be a spectacular affair.

The expanded 48-team tournament - up from the 32-nation field that competed at the FIFA World Cup 2022 - will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year.

With Asia set to be well represented, the-AFC.com brings you all the details of the Final Draw.

Arnold urges focus as Iraq get set for Bolivia or Suriname showdown

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Arnold urges focus as Iraq get set for Bolivia or Suriname showdown

Kuala Lumpur: Graham Arnold has called for determination and focus after Iraq were drawn to face either Bolivia or Suriname in a single, winners-take-all FIFA Playoff Tournament tie next March for a place at the FIFA World Cup 2026. 

The draw, conducted at FIFA headquarters in Zürich, placed Iraq directly into the final stage of the inter-confederation playoff as one of the two seeded teams, bypassing the bracket semi-finals and standing just one match away from a historic return to football’s biggest stage.

Uzbekistan name Cannavaro as head coach

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Uzbekistan name Cannavaro as head coach

Tashkent: Former Italy FIFA World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has been named as the new head coach of Uzbekistan, it was announced on Monday.

It is the second time that the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner has taken charge of a national team, having coached China PR for two matches in early 2019 before stepping down.

Journey to 2026 begins

Thu, 07 Sep, 2023

Journey to 2026 begins

Kuala Lumpur: The long qualifying road for the FIFA World Cup 26 kicks off on Thursday with teams hoping to take their place amongst the expanded cast of 48 teams.

South American sides will be the first in action with preliminary competitions for Asia and Africa also to take off before the end of the year as nations battle it out for spots at the global Finals.
 
We take a look at the qualifying process and more for the tournament which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA.

Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Qualifiers draw

Wed, 05 Jul, 2023

Stage set for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Qualifiers draw

Kuala Lumpur: All eyes will be on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, July 27, 2023 for the official draw ceremonies of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 and Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ at 2pm and 4pm respectively.

As many as 45 Member Associations (MAs) are expected to discover their road to the 23rd FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. This is the third time that the first two rounds of Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup will also serve as the Qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup™.  

Sanchez steps down as Qatar head coach

Sat, 31 Dec, 2022

Sanchez steps down as Qatar head coach

Doha: Felix Sanchez will not be renewing his contract as head coach of the national football team, Qatar Football Association (QFA) said on Friday.

QFA said both parties decided it was a good moment to begin a new chapter when Sanchez's contract expires on Saturday. 
 
The decision comes after Qatar's maiden FIFA World Cup campaign ended in the group stage with the hosts suffering three defeats in Group A.

Moriyasu stays as Japan head coach

Wed, 28 Dec, 2022

Moriyasu stays as Japan head coach

Tokyo: Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu will stay in his job after leading the Samurai Blue to the last 16 at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the Japan Football Association said on Wednesday.

While Japan failed to reach the quarter-finals after losing to Croatia on penalties in the Round of 16, they produced stunning wins against Germany and Spain in the group stage.

Qatar 2022: Saudi Arabia stun Argentina in thrilling campaign

Mon, 26 Dec, 2022

Qatar 2022: Saudi Arabia stun Argentina in thrilling campaign

Kuala Lumpur: As the curtains came down on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Saudi Arabia would have smiled even though they missed out on a place in the knockout stage.

Lionel Messi may have hoisted the trophy but history will show that Saudi Arabia not only were the last team to beat Argentina before they emerged champions for a third time but were also the side to end the South American side's 36-match unbeaten run heading into Qatar 2022. 

The-AFC.com relives Saudi Arabia's thrilling adventure.

Qatar 2022: Steep learning curve for hosts

Wed, 21 Dec, 2022

Qatar 2022: Steep learning curve for hosts

Kuala Lumpur: Qatar headed into the FIFA World Cup 2022 on home soil with minimal expectations in their maiden participation in the global showpiece.

It proved to be a tough yet rewarding experience for head coach Felix Sanchez's players with expectations soaring that Qatar can be regular qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.

Qatar 2022: Korea Republic show grit and determination

Sat, 24 Dec, 2022

Qatar 2022: Korea Republic show grit and determination

Kuala Lumpur: Korea Republic's FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign may have ended in the Round of 16 but the East Asians deserve credit for even getting to the stage after a difficult group stage.

All hope looked lost following their defeat to Ghana but Paulo Bento's side refused to give up.

Join the-AFC.com as we retrace Korea Republic's Qatar 2022 journey.

Qatar 2022: So near yet so far for Japan

Sat, 24 Dec, 2022

Qatar 2022: So near yet so far for Japan

Kuala Lumpur: Japan came within a penalty shoot-out of reaching the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for the first time at Qatar 2022.

Head coach Hajime Moriyasu had unhesitatingly stated that the last eight stage was his target, with Japan having fallen in the Round of 16 on three previous occasions.
 
The-AFC.com takes a look at how Japan just missed out on reaching their target.