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AFC and Molten unveil Official Match Ball for the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26

Tue, 25 Jun, 2024

AFC and Molten unveil Official Match Ball for the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and global sports equipment manufacturer Molten, Official Global Partner of the AFC’s national team and club competitions, have unveiled today the Official Match Ball that will be used exclusively for the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26, taking place from September 2, 2024 to November 18, 2025.

Molten will supply the “AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26” model of their 5th generation Vantaggio for the highly anticipated decisive stages of the Confederation’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which is set to feature the Continent’s top 18 national teams.

Road to 26 draw to reveal riveting battles for Asian contenders

Fri, 21 Jun, 2024

Road to 26 draw to reveal riveting battles for Asian contenders

·         18 teams to be divided into three groups of six
·         Matches from September 2024 to June 2025

Kuala Lumpur: Asia’s hopefuls for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will discover their opponents for the next stage of qualification at the FIFA World Cup 26™ Preliminary Draw – AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road To 26 on Thursday, June 27 at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Grand Ballroom, in Malaysia.

Maiden AFC Challenge League™ to spark new rivalries

Wed, 19 Jun, 2024

Maiden AFC Challenge League™ to spark new rivalries

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today confirmed the initial line-up of the first ever AFC Challenge League™ (ACGL) ahead of its kick-off next month.

Introduced as part of the revamped AFC Club Competitions structure, the new third-tier Continental men’s competition will bring together 18 aspiring teams to contend for glory.

Entries confirmed for AFC Champions League Two™ 2024-25

Wed, 19 Jun, 2024

Entries confirmed for AFC Champions League Two™ 2024-25

Kuala Lumpur: The pathway towards the inaugural AFC Champions League Two™ (ACL Two) season was unveiled today by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with 32 teams competing for top honours in the Continent’s brand-new second-tier men’s club competition.

In accordance with the finalised AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 slot allocations and club licensing requirements, 27 teams from across 21 Member Associations (MAs) – 12 from the West region and 15 from the East – qualify directly to the Group Stage, along with the three teams (two West, one East) that will be eliminated from the Preliminary Stage of the AFC Champions League Elite™.

AFC Champions League Elite™ unveils top-class lineup for inaugural season

Thu, 27 Jun, 2024

AFC Champions League Elite™ unveils top-class lineup for inaugural season

Kuala Lumpur: The cream of the crop in Asia will come together for the maiden campaign of the AFC Champions League Elite™ (ACL Elite) this August when the prestigious competition kicks off.

The initial cast for the debut 2024/25 season was confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in accordance with the finalised AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 slot allocations that features 27 teams from across 12 Member Associations (MAs) – six from each of the West and East regions.

Landmark AFC Women’s Champions League™ to kick off with 22 clubs

Fri, 14 Jun, 2024

Landmark AFC Women’s Champions League™ to kick off with 22 clubs

Kuala Lumpur: Heralding a new era of success and progress for women’s football in Asia, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed today the number of participating teams for the highly-anticipated inaugural season of the AFC Women’s Champions League™, which will get underway in August.

Twenty-two Member Associations (MAs) who have expressed interest in taking part will each be represented by one club for the landmark 2024/25 campaign of the showpiece, which was announced last August.

AFC partners with FanCode to stream Asian football competitions in India

Tue, 11 Jun, 2024

AFC partners with FanCode to stream Asian football competitions in India

AFC announces FanCode as media partner for India market for the 2025-2028 cycle

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced today a partnership with Sporta Technologies Private Ltd’s streaming platform, FanCode, for the 2025-2028 cycle in India.

AFC Certificate in Football Leadership welcomes second batch of future decision-makers

Mon, 10 Jun, 2024

AFC Certificate in Football Leadership welcomes second batch of future decision-makers

Kuala Lumpur: Following the overwhelming response to the inaugural edition, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today launched the 2nd AFC Certificate in Football Leadership (ACFL) programme to enhance the ever-growing pool and capabilities of future Asian football decision-makers.

As part of the Confederation’s landmark AFC Academic Centre of Excellence (ACE)’s expanding repertoire of online programmes, the six-month-long initiative will see 36 decision-makers from AFC Member Associations (MAs), Regional Associations (RAs) and other football stakeholders follow in the footsteps of the graduates of the first edition, to further elevate the standards of football leadership on the Continent

Stage set for #AFCU17 and #AFCU20 Qualifiers draws

Fri, 31 May, 2024

Stage set for #AFCU17 and #AFCU20 Qualifiers draws

Kuala Lumpur: Asia’s age-group national teams will embark on their quest to reach the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ 2025 and AFC U20 Asian Cup™ 2025 later this year when the Qualifiers for both kick off in October and September respectively.

Their pathways will be laid out at the official draw ceremonies on Thursday, June 13 at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the U17 event to begin at 2pm, followed by the U20 draw at 4pm.

VAR to be implemented at all AFC club competitions for 2024/25 season

Tue, 28 May, 2024

VAR to be implemented at all AFC club competitions for 2024/25 season

Kuala Lumpur: As Asian club football prepares to enter a new era, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reaffirmed its determination to maintain the highest officiating standards with the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system across its revamped three-tier club structure as well as the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League™ for the 2024/25 season.

Befitting the status of the newly introduced AFC Champions League Elite™, which will see the Continent’s top 24 teams battle for glory, the tournament will implement VAR from the League Stage, which kicks off this September.

Saudi Arabia lead latest AFC Club Competitions Ranking

Mon, 27 May, 2024

Saudi Arabia lead latest AFC Club Competitions Ranking

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the latest AFC Club Competitions Ranking, with Saudi Arabia taking the top spot.

With a total of 103.148 points to their name, chart-toppers Saudi Arabia are followed by Japan and Korea Republic in the second and third places respectively.

Shaikh Salman commends Al Ain on securing #ACL 2023/24 title

Sun, 26 May, 2024

Shaikh Salman commends Al Ain on securing #ACL 2023/24 title

Kuala Lumpur: Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, has praised Al Ain FC after the United Arab Emirates side staged a 5-1 comeback victory over Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos to secure their second AFC Champions League™ title at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday.

With Al Ain trailing 2-1 after falling in the first leg in Yokohama two weeks ago, the United Arab Emirates’ most successful club rebounded in serendipitous fashion to capture their second Continental club crown, adding to the title they won in the inaugural 2002/03 AFC Champions League™ edition as the showpiece makes way for the AFC Champions League Elite™ later this year.