The JFA said the resumption of football activities will be in accordance with safety measures and protocols decided by the health authorities.

To select the candidates for each position, we have reflected on match data from FIFA World Cups dating all the way back to 1966 and presented a statistics-based approach to highlight the players who have shone brightest on the biggest stage of all.

We start our series of articles with the three candidates in contention for the all-important number one jersey. With a combined 11 FIFA World Cup editions between them, the trio boast a wealth of experience at the global showpiece. So, review the nominees and then choose your favourite goalkeeper to helm the rearguard for this all-star XI in the poll below.

The Hong Kong side will join Tatung FC from Chinese Taipei and Macau’s MUST CPK in Group I with the final slot to be contested in the Play-off Stage between Ulaanbaatar City FC from Mongolia and Chinese Taipei’s Taipower FC and the Preliminary Stage (East) cancelled.

A Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) statement announced both the withdrawal of its own candidacy and that it will now support fellow South American nation Colombia in its bid to host the event.

Australia, which forms part of a joint bid with New Zealand, and Japan are Asia’s bidding nations, with the winning bid to be chosen on June 25.

There are few images more iconic in Asian football: with his mouth wide open in a celebratory roar, Younis Mahmoud hoisting the AFC Asian Cup trophy high into the Jakarta night sky as Iraq completed a remarkable triumph over Saudi Arabia in the final of the 2007 championship.

The young Taeguk Warriors will become the first Korea Republic national football squad to undergo training amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced a 36-man camp roster for head coach Kim Jung-soo. The camp will begin on Monday at the National Football Center, located north of Seoul.

The LFA said in a press release that the top flight will start on September 18 while there will be a preparatory competition for the first division clubs on July 29.