Russia could play in Asian tournament this summer

Russia's national soccer team looks set to play meaningful games once again this summer in an Asian tournament. Since February 2022, FIFA banned the nation from official competition under the FIFA umbrella. However, now it seems as if Russia will be playing in an Asian tournament in June. The Central Asian Football Association Championships launch […]

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a revamping of its club competitions. This takes effect starting in the 2024/25 campaign. The current two-competition structure with the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup will be transformed into a three-tier system. The number of teams participating in the three competitions, 76, does not change. Yet, the […]

Russia is considering a switch away from UEFA in order to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Russian Football Union (RFU) has already supposedly scheduled a meeting to discuss the potential move. Sources at ESPN claim that the summit will take place on Friday. The Russia national soccer team, as well as all clubs […]

The group stage said many things about each confederation under the FIFA umbrella. Some saw embarrassment as only one team from the area advanced. Others set records for the quantity of teams to reach the round of 16. The 2022 World Cup group stage was wild. Within minutes a pair of teams was safe to […]

Doha (AFP) – Coach Graham Arnold is counting on "Aussie mental strength" to see his side to victory over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and through to another playoff battle for a place in the World Cup finals. Arnold said that Australia seem to like qualifying the "hard way" but insisted that they are […]

Saitama (Japan) (AFP) – Japan drew 1-1 with Vietnam on Tuesday to end their World Cup qualifying campaign on a flat note days after booking their place in Qatar. The four-time Asian champions fell behind to a 19th-minute goal by Vietnam's Nguyen Thanh Binh, leaving them trailing at half-time to a team that had taken […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Two-goal hero Kaoru Mitoma could be Japan's secret weapon at the World Cup and will also hope to eventually make his mark in the Premier League with a Brighton side crying out for firepower. The tricky 24-year-old winger sent Japan to the Qatar showpiece with a late brace in a 2-0 win […]

Sydney (AFP) – Coach Graham Arnold has urged a demoralised Australia to be positive as he came under mounting pressure Friday after their failure to automatically qualify for a fifth successive World Cup. The Socceroos needed to beat Japan in Sydney on Thursday and then win against Saudi Arabia next week to seal their place […]

Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) – Saudi Arabia were held to a 1-1 draw by China on Thursday as they celebrated reaching the World Cup finals for the sixth time. Herve Renard's side went into the Asian third round qualifying game in Sharjah knowing that their ticket was booked when Japan beat Australia 2-0 earlier […]

Sydney (AFP) – Substitute Kaoru Mitoma scored twice in the dying minutes as Japan beat Australia 2-0 on Thursday to book their place at a seventh straight World Cup and in doing so also helped Saudi Arabia qualify. It was a crushing blow for an understrength Socceroos who now face a perilous play-off to keep […]

Sydney (AFP) – Depleted Australia called up veteran Uruguay-born striker Bruno Fornaroli on Thursday to potentially make a shock debut in their crunch World Cup qualifier against Japan — provided his paperwork is done in time. The 34-year-old was named in a 27-man Socceroos squad for their home clash against the four-time Asian champions in […]