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AFC and Sportdigital extend media partnership

Mon, 16 Dec, 2024

AFC and Sportdigital extend media partnership

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC announced today the extension of its media partnership with Sportdigital, who will continue to be the Official Broadcaster for the AFC’s club and national team competitions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the 2025-2028 cycle.

The AFC’s standing partnership with Sportdigital for the 2021-2024 cycle included top national team competitions such as the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, AFC U23 Asian Cup™ 2022 and 2024, as well as selected youth and futsal competitions. Sportdigital has also been the home for the AFC’s new club competition, the AFC Champions League Two™ for the 2024/25 season.

AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup™ draw to set stage for Thailand 2025

Fri, 13 Dec, 2024

AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup™ draw to set stage for Thailand 2025

Kuala Lumpur: The contenders for the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup™ Thailand 2025 will discover their path to glory when the Final Draw ceremony takes place on Thursday, December 19 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.

Set to be hosted by Thailand for a third time, the 11th edition of the tournament will feature 16 teams in action at the Jomtien Beach in Pattaya from March 20 to 30, 2025.

Inaugural AFC Football eSports Forum sets sights on charting exciting future

Thu, 12 Dec, 2024

Inaugural AFC Football eSports Forum sets sights on charting exciting future

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s commitment to strengthen its engagement with passionate audiences in the virtual realm reached a significant milestone on Tuesday with the conclusion of the first-ever AFC Football eSports Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Building on the successful launch of the AFC eAsian Cup earlier this year alongside the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, the two-day forum brought together key stakeholders and eSports experts to explore ways to strengthen and expand the Football eSports ecosystem in Asia.

Shaikh Salman congratulates FIFA World Cup 2034 host Saudi Arabia

Thu, 12 Dec, 2024

Shaikh Salman congratulates FIFA World Cup 2034 host Saudi Arabia

Riyadh: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has congratulated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on being confirmed as the host of the FIFA World Cup 2034.

The FIFA Extraordinary Congress convened virtually earlier today and selected Saudi Arabia - the sole bidder for the 25th edition of the global showpiece – by acclamation.

AFC renews broadcast deal with Sport 24 until 2028

Wed, 11 Dec, 2024

AFC renews broadcast deal with Sport 24 until 2028

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the renewal of its media rights agreement with Sport 24, the dedicated live sports channel for the airline and cruise markets, through to 2028.

The partnership will see Sport 24 broadcast the AFC’s competitions on airlines and cruise ships around the world, including the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26™, the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™, AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™, as well as the AFC Champions League Elite™ for the 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons.

#ACLTwo contenders set for Knockout Stage draw

Fri, 06 Dec, 2024

#ACLTwo contenders set for Knockout Stage draw

Kuala Lumpur: The stage is set for the 16 remaining sides in the AFC Champions League Two™ (ACL Two) 2024/25 to discover their Knockout Stage fate at the draw ceremony on Thursday, December 12 at 3pm at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.

Eight teams each from the West and East regions successfully progressed from the Group Stage, which concluded on Thursday, to seal their Round of 16 berths in the 20th edition of the Continent’s second-tier men’s tournament and keep their hopes of glory alive.

Cast set for Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round draw

Fri, 29 Nov, 2024

Cast set for Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round draw

Kuala Lumpur: The stage for the third and final round of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ will be set at the Qualifiers Draw ceremony on Monday, December 9 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Six berths remain to be clinched and the 24-strong cast will be divided equally into six groups to do battle starting from March 2025, with only the group winners progressing to the 19th edition of Asia’s crown jewel.

Asian football global success and solidarity hailed by Shaikh Salman

Tue, 03 Dec, 2024

Asian football global success and solidarity hailed by Shaikh Salman

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has praised Asian teams for their achievements on the global stage, whilst acknowledging the strong sense of unity within the Asian football family at the 5th AFC Executive Committee meeting held virtually today.

Citing the recent success of DPR Korea, who emerged as the only Member Association in world football to repeat the feat of capturing back-to-back women’s age-group titles in the same year, Shaikh Salman said: “As we reflect on 2024, we can all take immense pride by the manner in which the AFC’s Vision and Mission is coming to life, particularly with the dominance of our Asian teams on the world’s biggest stages.

AFC Champions League Elite™: AFC statement on refereeing

Wed, 27 Nov, 2024

AFC Champions League Elite™: AFC statement on refereeing

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that it is conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the refereeing, including the performance of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), during the AFC Champions League Elite™ League Stage West matches held this week, including the match between Al Sadd SC (QAT) and Al Hilal SFC (KSA) held on November 26, 2024, at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The AFC will undertake a detailed review of the refereeing decisions and overall performance of the referees. Any potential errors or areas of concern will be addressed in line with the regulations and protocols for referee assessment and performance improvement established by the AFC Referees Committee.

AFC Certificate in Football Leadership graduates poised to advance growth of Asian football

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024

AFC Certificate in Football Leadership graduates poised to advance growth of Asian football

Kuala Lumpur: The latest batch of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Certificate in Football Leadership (ACFL) participants took a giant step towards further uplifting Asian football when they graduated on Tuesday from the second edition of the Confederation’s landmark education-first initiative.

Now equipped with the requisite perspective, processes and tools that define exemplary leaders, these graduates will set their sights on using their new capabilities to complement their respective organisations’ drive to move world football forward.

Latest update on AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 and AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25

Mon, 18 Nov, 2024

Latest update on AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 and AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the neutral venues for the upcoming AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 and AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 fixtures.

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ELITE™ 2024/25

The neutral venue of the League Stage (West) fixture between Esteghlal FC (IRN) and Pakhtakor (UZB), scheduled to take place on November 25, 2024, will be played at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 8pm.

Meanwhile, the League Stage (West) tie between Persepolis FC (IRN) and Al Shorta (IRQ), will be held at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on December 2, 2024, at 5pm.

AFC and KELME extend multi-year partnership

Mon, 18 Nov, 2024

AFC and KELME extend multi-year partnership

Jinjiang: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and global sports apparel brand, KELME, have announced the extension of their partnership, as well as an expansion to include more competitions between 2024-2029. The partnership will see KELME designated as the Official Global Supporter of all major AFC club competitions as well as several national team competitions within the contract period.

The AFC’s standing partnership with KELME from 2021-2024 included all major AFC national team competitions. The partnership saw KELME work with the AFC to deliver official apparel and accessories for key competitions such as the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ 2022 and 2024, and other youth competitions, as well as the delivery of the bespoke match ball for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™.