Akira Nishino officially announced as Thailand head coach

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Akira Nishino officially announced as Thailand head coach

Bangkok: Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand) has officially confirmed Akira Nishino's appointment as head coach of Thailand's national and U23 teams.

The former Japan national team head coach will lead the War Elephants in Round Two of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 , SEA Games, and the AFC U23 Championship 2020 Finals.

Excitement builds ahead of Wednesday's second round draw 

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Excitement builds ahead of Wednesday's second round draw 

Kuala Lumpur: The roads to Qatar 2022 and China 2023 open up for Asia’s top 40 teams on Wednesday when they discover their opponents in the eagerly anticipated draw for the second round of the Asian Qualifiers.

The attention will be on the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as the 34 nations who earned their places automatically for the second round, will be joined by the six winners from the first round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Joint Qualifiers.

Asia’s five representatives at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 – Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia as well as AFC Asian Cup reigning champions Qatar have all confirmed their spots in Pot 1 after sealing their places among Asia’s top eight in the June 14, 2019, FIFA World Ranking.

Classic Qualifiers: Australia v Syria, 2017

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Classic Qualifiers: Australia v Syria, 2017

Kuala Lumpur: With the Asian Qualifiers draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 upon us, we continue our look at classic matches of the past with an epic encounter on the road to Russia 2018.

Separated by the full width of the Asian confederation, Australia and Syria had little in common when they met in a hotly-contested two-legged play-off in October 2017, but it took 210 minutes and the width of a goalpost to separate them in what proved to be a modern-day classic.

Classic Qualifiers: Saudi Arabia v Bahrain, 2009

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Classic Qualifiers: Saudi Arabia v Bahrain, 2009

Kuala Lumpur: As the countdown to Wednesday’s Asian Qualifiers draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 continues, the-AFC.com takes a look back at another great qualifying match of the past.

Few qualifiers in history have produced the drama seen in the World Cup qualifying play-off between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in September 2009, where it took until the final seconds to decide the final Asian playoff.

Classic Qualifiers: Uzbekistan v Tajikistan, 1996

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Classic Qualifiers: Uzbekistan v Tajikistan, 1996

Kuala Lumpur: With just two days until Wednesday’s eagerly awaited Asian Qualifiers draw for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, the-AFC.com continues its look back at some classic qualifying matches of yesteryear.

Entering the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time, Central Asian rivals Uzbekistan and Tajikistan played out a remarkable two-legged affair in 1996, with the White Wolves pulling off an incredible comeback to qualify 5-4 on aggregate after being 4-0 down.

Classic Qualifiers: Japan v IR Iran, 1997

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Classic Qualifiers: Japan v IR Iran, 1997

Kuala Lumpur: As fans across the Continent prepare for Wednesday’s Asian Qualifiers draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the unforgettable qualifying clashes of years past.

We kick off by recalling the epic FIFA World Cup France 1998 qualifying playoff between Japan and Islamic Republic of Iran, which sent the Samurai Blue to the Finals for the first time in their history.

History making Mongolia's journey only just beginning

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

History making Mongolia's journey only just beginning

Bandar Seri Begawan: Mongolia must be prepared to work even harder if they want to continue making history after advancing to the next stage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 Joint Qualification on Tuesday.

The East Asians saw off a strong challenge from Brunei, who had drawn level 2-2 on aggregate by the end of the first half at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

Mongolian captain Norjmoo Tsedenbal, however, had the final say as he struck a penalty two minutes into the second half to ensure his team advanced to the second round for the first time in their history.