Group I: Bangladesh 0-2 Australia

Mon, 10 Jun, 2024

Group I: Bangladesh 0-2 Australia

Dhaka: Australia kept their perfect record alive in Group I of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh on Thursday.

At the Bashundhara Kings Arena, Graham Arnold’s side made it five wins from five matches, while another clean sheet, this time from Aston Villa’s Joe Gauci, making just his third appearance for the Socceroos, also kept alive their record of not having conceded so far this campaign.

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Round 2 - MD5: Results & Reports

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Round 2 - MD5: Results & Reports

Kuala Lumpur: Palestine were the history makers as Matchday Five of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ concluded on Thursday.

A goalless draw with Lebanon saw Palestine booking their spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time as well as confirming a fourth consecutive appearance at the AFC Asian Cup Finals.

Also through to the next stage were Korea Republic as a 7-0 defeat of Singapore meant they are well on course for an 11th consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup Finals.

The-AFC.com recaps how Matchday Five unfolded, with 13 of the 18 FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers third round spots filled.

Group F: Indonesia 0-2 Iraq

Mon, 10 Jun, 2024

Group F: Indonesia 0-2 Iraq

Jakarta: Iraq secured top spot in Group F following their 2-0 win over 10-man Indonesia in the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie on Thursday.

Having already secured their place as one of the top two sides from Group F on Matchday Four, Iraq were made to work hard in a first half where Indonesia controlled the majority of possession albeit without creating clear-cut chances.

However, the arrival of Ali Jasim from the bench at half-time proved crucial as the young Iraq star forced the penalty from which Aymen Hussein opened the scoring, before netting the crucial second himself in the dying minutes of the tie to seal top spot in the group with a game to spare.

Indonesia, who also saw Jordi Amat dismissed in the second half, will need to await the conclusion of the later tie between Vietnam and Philippines to know whether their own progression to the next round of preliminaries for the FIFA World Cup 2026 must wait until Matchday Six.

Colombia 2024 groups finalised

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024

Colombia 2024 groups finalised

Bogota: Asia's hopefuls discovered their opponents following the draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024 in Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday.

With the tournament expanded to 24 teams from 16 previously, the teams were drawn into six groups for the August 31-September 22 global showpiece.

Korea Republic fall again to the United States

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024

Korea Republic fall again to the United States

Minnesota: Korea Republic suffered a second straight loss to the United States  after they went down 3-0 in an international friendly on Wednesday.

Having lost the first encounter 4-0 on Saturday, Colin Bell’s side were undone in successive games by goals from Crystal Dunn, Sophia Smith and Lily Yohannes.

Europe Wrap: Asia’s stars continue to rack up silverware overseas

Tue, 04 Jun, 2024

Europe Wrap: Asia’s stars continue to rack up silverware overseas

Kuala Lumpur: The 2023/24 season was another trophy-laden campaign for Asian stars in Europe – from Hinata Miyazawa winning a historic Women’s FA Cup in England to Lee Kang-in winning a double with Paris Saint-Germain in France and Koki Machida hitting the winner in the Belgian Cup final to end a 110-year wait for Union SG. 

Japanese duo Moeka Minami and Saki Kumagai completed the double in Italy with AS Roma while Thailand's Suphanat Mueanta and Nepal's Sabitra Bhandari created history by becoming the first from their countries to score in the Belgian and French leagues respectively. 

It was also a time for goodbyes as Makoto Hasebe, one of the stalwarts of Asian football, hung up his boots after a 14-year stay in Germany's Bundesliga while Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi lifted the cup in his last game for FC Porto, so join the-AFC.com as we review how Asian stars performed across Europe this season.