National Competitions - Landing Page (AR)

The Iraqis will be returning to the Olympics for their third appearance after a memorable run to the semi-finals in Athens in 2004 and their qualification for Rio de Janeiro 12 years later.

And while the country’s most recent involvement ended in a group phase elimination, Shenaishil is looking to emulate the achievements of the squad led by Younis Mahmood and Nashat Akram by securing a place in the second phase of the competition.

The former Kashima Antlers coach, who led the J1 League side to the AFC Champions League title in 2019, steered his team to victory in the continental championship in May to secure the country’s eighth successive Olympic Games qualification.

Oiwa’s team defeated Uzbekistan in the final in Doha to lift the trophy for the second time as the Japanese continued their record of qualifying for every Olympic Games since 1996 and the head coach is targeting further success for his team later this summer.

FAM said Kim, who took charge in 2022, will be replaced by Spaniard Pau Vicente on an interim basis, assisted by E. Elavarasan.

While Asian teams made their Olympics debut in the 1938 edition, only twice has a side from the continent won a medal at the global showpiece - Japan in 1968 and Korea Republic at the 2012 Games.

The-AFC.com takes an in depth look at the head coaches who will be charting the challenges of Iraq, Japan and Uzbekistan.

Their historical qualification was sealed after finishing runners-up in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 and the young White Wolves will have to compete with 2020 silver medallists Spain, Egypt and Dominican Republic for one of the Group C quarter-finals slots.

With the Olympic Football Tournaments Paris 2024 kicking off later this month, the full squads for both the men’s and women’s competition have now been confirmed.

There will be no shortage of star power on show with a host of big names set to line up in France.

Although the squad will be without the mercurial Takefusa Kobu and the quota of three overage players, the East Asian side still have the quality to challenge for medals when the action kicks off on July 24.

Drawn in Group B, the West Asian side will have to contend with two-time gold medallists Argentina, Morocco and Ukraine for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Iraq, Japan and Uzbekistan will be aiming to emulate, if not better, the bronze medals won in the 1968 and 2012 editions by Japan and Korea Republic respectively.

Ahead of the men's tournament kicking off on July 24, the-AFC.com takes a look at the groups, with the top two teams from each to advance to the quarter-finals.

"We have signed Hong as our next national team head coach," a spokesman for the Korea Football Association (KFA) said.

Ahead of what promises to be an enthralling competition, the-AFC.com takes a look back at how the continent's teams have fared at previous editions of the Summer Games.

The tears in Neil Etheridge’s eyes told the story, six years ago, of what it meant to the Philippines to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup™ Finals; victory over Tajikistan took the nation to the tournament for the first time and the emotion streaked the goalkeeper’s face.

For a country that has historically occupied a position of significance within the continental game – it featured in the first international played on Asian soil in 1913 and was the first home of the Asian Football Confederation - the Philippines’ on-field record is underwhelming.