East Asia Wrap: Marinos stretch lead in Japan; title rivals win in Korea

Sun, 31 Jul, 2022

East Asia Wrap: Marinos stretch lead in Japan; title rivals win in Korea

Hong Kong: The top two met in Japan over the weekend and frontrunners Yokohama F. Marinos dealt a huge blow to their title rivals by seeing off second-placed Kashima Antlers 2-0 to move eight points clear. 

The gap in Korea Republic remains five points with pacesetters Ulsan Hyundai and second-placed Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors both recording wins, while there were also fixtures in Chinese Taipei, so join the-AFC.com as we review the action from across East Asia.

Qatar Stars League 2022-23 - Season Preview

Mon, 01 Aug, 2022

Qatar Stars League 2022-23 - Season Preview

Dubai: The start of August marks kick-off of an exceptional edition of the Qatar Stars League, an unusually early start to the 2022-23 is just one of several changes in place to accommodate for hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, making for an intriguing domestic competition in the months ahead.

The season will also be the last to feature 12 clubs in the top division, with the bottom two in 2022-23 set for direct relegation, while the 10th-placed side will face the second division champions in a playoff game. Starting 2023-24, the competition will be reduced to 10 teams who play each other three times over the course of the season to increase the total number of matches a team plays from 22 to 27.

Australia name final squad for Costa Rica 2022

Mon, 01 Aug, 2022

Australia name final squad for Costa Rica 2022

Mexico City: Head coach Leah Blayney has named the 21 players who will represent Australia at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.  

The squad has been finalised following the completion of the Young Matildas pre-tournament training camp in Mexico City which included a training match against Club Universidad Nacional Femenil and closed door international friendly against the Mexico U20 Women’s National Team.  

Australia’s final squad features a strong A-League Women’s presence with 17 players recording match minutes during the 2021/22 season. The 21 players represent six Member Association. 

AFC Cup™ 2022 - Best goals of Group Stage: S-final 2

Sat, 30 Jul, 2022

AFC Cup™ 2022 - Best goals of Group Stage: S-final 2

Kuala Lumpur: The search for the best goal of the AFC Cup™ 2022 Group Stage continues with the next selection of fine finishes from across the five zones.

Semi-final 1 concluded on Friday and the-AFC.com has selected some of the finest goals for the next round of voting. Catch the breathtaking goals below and don't forget to vote for your favourite! 

AFC Champions League™ 2022 Group Stage Stats Leaders: Forwards

Fri, 29 Jul, 2022

AFC Champions League™ 2022 Group Stage Stats Leaders: Forwards

Kuala Lumpur: Over the past few weeks, the-AFC.com has highlighted the standout goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders from the AFC Champions League™ 2022 group stage, and now it’s the turn of those whose job it is to score the goals: the forwards. 

To select the star performers up front, we’ve reflected on the match data from the group stage to draw up a statistics-based approach to present those that shone brightest. 

Here are eight forwards who delivered the goods for their respective sides. 

2007 AFC Asian Cup™: Iraq's amazing triumph revisited

Fri, 29 Jul, 2022

2007 AFC Asian Cup™: Iraq's amazing triumph revisited

Kuala Lumpur: Fifteen years ago today Iraq completed one of the most memorable feats in Asian football history as the Jorvan Vieira-coached Lions of Mesopotamia lifted the 2007 AFC Asian Cup™. Despite troubles at home, Younis Mahmoud and his teammates claimed a remarkable success that unified a nation and which still resonates around the world.

When Mahmoud soared high in the Jakarta night air to score the goal that downed Saudi Arabia to deliver Iraq their first-ever AFC Asian Cup title, it secured much more than the famous old trophy.