FIFA closes the door on Palestine hosting 2026 qualifiers but it might not be good for Israel
July 29 – FIFA and the AFC have refused Palestine the right to stage their home World Cup qualifying matches in September in the West Bank.
Competitions
AFC draws groups for first two stages of inaugural Women’s Champions League
July 18 – The AFC has drawn the first two group stages for its inaugural Women’s Champions League that will see 13 teams kick off play in August 25-31.
Palestine apply to host World Cup 2026 qualifiers in West Bank
July 5 – After making it further than ever in World Cup qualifying, Palestine are now hoping to start hosting games on home soil.
AFC 2026 draw groups Japan, Saudi and Australia in race for two automatic slots
June 27 – Japan have been drawn with Saudi Arabia and Australia in what looks to be the toughest of the third round qualifying groups for the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
AFC allocates pots for final round of 2026 World Cup qualifying draw
June 21 – The AFC has released the seeding pots for the final round of its 2026 World Cup qualifiers that will kick off in September 2024, completing in June 2025.
AFC confirms clubs and schedule for its new two-tier Champions League
June 19 – The clubs for Asia’s new two-tier Champions League – AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League Two – have been confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the 2024/25 season.
AFC unveils 22 clubs for inaugural Women’s Champions League
June 14 – The inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League will kick off this August with 22 clubs from 22 member associations making up the opening cohort of pioneering women’s teams.
India crash out of 2026 World Cup qualifying
June 12 – In an indictment of Igor Stimac’s management, India crashed out of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after a 2-1 defeat against Qatar ended their hopes of making the third round group stages.
AFC set for U17 and U20 Asian Cup qualifying draw
June 12 – The AFC will hold its draw for the qualifiers for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025 and AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 tomorrow at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Palestine qualify for final stage of AFC World Cup qualifiers for first time
June 10 – A 0-0 draw with Lebanon in Qatar was enough to see Palestine through to the final stage of the AFC’s qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup for the first time.
AFC reforms competition structures with U17 Asian Cups going annual and U23s quadrennially
May 29 – With FIFA having changed the frequency of the men’s and women’s U17 World Cup to annual events, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has similarly had to rethink its competition structure in order to create qualifying competitions for the FIFA tournaments.
Al Ain beat Yokohama F. Marinos to win final AFC Champions League before format revamp
May 28 – Trailing 2-1 after the first leg in Yokohama two weeks ago, the UAE’s Al Ain turned the tables on the Yokohama F. Marinos in Abu Dhabi to win the AFC Champions League title for the second time.
AFC unveils branding for its revamped club comps and addition of Women’s Champions League
May 21 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has unveiled the brand identities that will be introduced for the revamp of its men’s club competition structure into three new tiers, and the introduction of its Women’s Champions League.
North Korean women add U17 AFC title to U20 win, and qualify for October World Cup
May 20 – North Korea, absent from international football as the country clamped its borders shut at the start of the pandemic, is rapidly re-emerging in the women’s game as a force to be reckoned with.
Australia and Uzbekistan awarded 2026 and 2029 hosting rights toAFC Women’s Asian Cup
May 15 – The Asian Confederation has awarded hosting of its 2026 and 2029 AFC Women’s Asian Cup competitions to Australia and Uzbekistan.
