The MAs representing Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea Republic, Malaysia and Thailand in the East Zone and Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan in the West Zone also committed to agreeing a format and timetable for the 99 remaining games as soon as possible.

Recognising the travel and medical restrictions, which differ across the Continent, the AFC proposed a series of options for concluding the AFC Champions League before the start of the scheduled FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Qatar in December.

Following comments by the representatives in the meetings, the AFC will present the format and the dates of the club competitions for the final review, after which the proposal will be submitted to the AFC Competitions Committee for their approval.

New Zealand, triumphant in the OFC Qualifiers, awaited the winners between 2007 AFC Asian Cup runners-up Saudi Arabia and their neighbours Bahrain who had come within a whisker of reaching the FIFA World Cup in their previous attempt four years earlier.

Founded in 1980 in a semi-professional capacity before moving into a profession era at the turn of the Millennium, the V.League has enjoyed a steady rise in recent years, with last season's AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal final between Hanoi FC and Becamex Binh Duong suggesting that some of the strongest club sides in Southeast Asia now hail from Vietnam.

And in further positive news for football fans across Vietnam, matches will not be played behind closed doors, with authorities allowing spectators into stadiums as the country continues to return towards normality.

When the action eventually resumes, several fiercely contested groups will ensure the race for the 12 available final round qualifying places for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is sure to be exciting.

Also Try:

The Asian Football Quiz: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11

Four decades after that historic World Cup participation, Kuwait are more determined than ever to revive those past glories.

Kicking off the AFC Cup's version of the '5 of the Best' series, we begin with one of our most popular categories: free-kicks. Curlers, rockets and long-range efforts - enjoy these superb set-pieces and then select your favourite by voting at the bottom of the article.