Competitions – Inside World Football

Aussies mark week to go to Women’s Asian Cup with giant illuminated ball and drone show

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 03:11:45 +0000

February 23 – There is always a moment, just before a major tournament begins, when the host city decides to lean in. On Saturday night, in western Sydney, that moment arrived in spectacular style.

With the opening match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup set for this coming Saturday, host city Sydney marked one week until kick-off, with two public activations, staged across Parramatta and Darling Harbour.

Saturday’s festivities saw a four-metre inflatable football installed and illuminated on the Parramatta River,

Women’s Asian Cup host cities to feature Health Hubs

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 05:57:18 +0000

February 16 – The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 will expand its matchday offer beyond the pitch with the launch of dedicated Health Hubs at stadium precincts across Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast.

Running from March 1, the tournament will bring together 12 national teams for Asia’s top-level women’s competition. Alongside the football programme, the AFC have confirmed that Fan Activation Zones will incorporate Health Hubs designed to integrate wellbeing, education and community engagement into the supporter experience.

Iran beat Indonesia in penalty shoot-out to win 14th Futsal Asian Cup

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 07:25:59 +0000

February 11 – Iran kept up their remarkable dominance of Asian Futsal with their 14th title last weekend, beating hosts Indonesia in the Asian Cup 2026 final.

It was the 18th edition of the Asian Futsal Cup.

The Iranians had to come back three times from being behind the Indonesians in front of their raucous and passionate support. The match ended 5-5.

With nerves frayed tension in the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta reaching almost unbearable levels,

AFC unveils bidders for 2035 Asian Cup hosting alongside 2031 host candidates

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:21:08 +0000

February 4 – The Asian Football Confederation has closed the initial bidding process for the 2035 AFC Asian Cup. Final host selection will run in parallel with the decision on the 2031 edition.

The move follows a proposal by AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to take both tournaments to a single Congress for approval.

Salman argued it offers long-term certainty around hosting rights, infrastructure planning and commercial alignment across its most important national team competition.

McDonald’s joins as AFC regional partner for Women’s Asian Cup in Aussie

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 02:46:52 +0000

January 28 – Fast food will combine with top-level sport again this spring as the Asian Football Confederation has added McDonald’s as an official regional partner of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026.

Under the agreement, McDonald’s Australia will activate around the competition domestically, leveraging its retail network and brand reach to support fan engagement across the three-week tournament.

The partnership links Asia’s flagship women’s national team event with one of the most recognisable consumer brands in Australia,

Japan beat China to retain U23 Asian Cup as Saudi Arabia build hosting credentials

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:00:46 +0000

January 25 – Japan brushed China aside 4-0 to retain their AFC U23 Asian Cup title at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium on Saturday. It is Japan’s third U23 Asian title, a confederation record.

Two goals from Kosei Ogura and strikes from Yuto Ozeki and Ryunosuke Sato (the tournament’s leading scorer) ensured Japan became the first team to defend the title.

Japan were dominant throughout the tournament, conceding just one goal on their way to the final.

AFC revamps U17 and U20 Asian Cup qualifiers to improve competitive balance

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:57:51 +0000

January 25 – The AFC is changing the qualifying formats of its U17 and U20 Asian Cups in a bid to optimise its competitions calendar and encourage stronger youth structures within its member associations.

The decision to revamp qualifying was taken to address “the technical gaps resulting in large score margins and early mathematical eliminations.”

The new qualification proposals were made by the AFC Competitions Committee meeting last weekend at the U23 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia.

AFC draws Women’s Champions League quarter final match-ups

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 04:45:56 +0000

January 16 – The AFC has held the quarter final draw for the AFC Women’s Champions League with the single leg matches to be played March 28 and 29.

Eight clubs from eight different nations have qualified for the knockout rounds from the three groups of four teams. This is the second season of the AFC Women’s Champions League.

Defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC from China, winners of Group B,

U23 Asian Cup reaches quarter finals stage with Japan and Vietnam dominant

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:43:35 +0000

January 15 – Australia and China were the final teams to confirm their places in the quarter finals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 this weekend but it was not without drama.

China went into their final match as group leaders, needing just a point against third placed Iraq to qualify for the knockout rounds. What looked like a straightforward task became difficult with the Chinese in the end settling for a 0-0 draw against a good Iraqi team.

AFC draws knockout rounds for Champions League Two

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:52:17 +0000

January 5 – The Asian Football Confederation has drawn the last 16 teams for the Champions League Two 2025/26 knockout rounds that begin in February.

Split into East and West zones (eight qualifying teams in each), clubs will play off through three rounds to qualify a zonal winner for the final.

In the West, clubs from seven nations make the last eight from the group stage.

Group A winners Al Wasl from the UAE were undefeated in the group stage,

AFC turns focus to establishing new Nations League structure ‘in the coming period’

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 05:57:17 +0000

December 27 – Having successfully reorganised and relaunched its club competition eco-system, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has returned its attention to its national team competition structure reaffirming plans to introduce an AFC Nations League.

With the AFC’s region having come out of the pandemic slightly later than other confederations, the AFC had to be creative with a reworked competition calendar that not only created opportunity for all its nations but gave its competitions space to complete their natural cycles,

No surrender: Palestine and Syria progress to last eight of Arab Cup in Qatar

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:38:32 +0000

December 8 – Palestine’s remarkable run at the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 took another historic turn on Sunday night as a goalless draw with Syria sent both sides into the quarterfinals for the first time.

The final round of Group A fixtures produced one of the most surprising outcomes of the competition so far.

Palestine and Syria, the group’s lowest-ranked teams, progressed at the expense of Tunisia and hosts Qatar –

Naara breathes fire and new beginnings into the Women’s Asian Cup

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 03:45:49 +0000

December 5 – The first-ever AFC women’s Asian Cup mascot has been unveiled by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Australia 2026 Local Organising Committee (LOC).

Naara, the fire horse, was introduced to fans amid celebrating International Volunteers’ Day in Gold Coast, and follows the launch of Wavemaker, the tournament’s first-ever bespoke match ball created by Kelme.

The two events mark milestones in the development of the Women’s Asian Cup as it cements itself as a major competition within the AFC’s infrastructure.

Arab Cup kicks off tonight with Qatar-Palestine. LOC reports 700k+ tickets sold

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 04:38:55 +0000

December 1 – FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 organisers have confirmed that more than 700,000 tickets have already been sold ahead of the tournament’s kick-off later today.

At a press briefing in Doha, senior figures from the Local Organising Committee (LOC), FIFA and Qatar’s governmental agencies delivered a unified message: the competition is on schedule, demand is strong across the region, and logistical plans are in place to accommodate supporters travelling for the event.

Arab Cup Qatar 2025 mascot Juha unveiled in time for play-ins that start tonight

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:25:14 +0000

November 24 – Qatari organisers have unveiled literary character Juha as the mascot for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 that will be played December 1-18.

Inspired by one of the most popular characters from the history of Arab literature, Juha “embodies the rich folkloric traditions of the region,” said the tournament organisers.

“Often depicted as a clumsy and slow-witted man who finds himself in humorous situations due to his strange antics,

AFC renews Barbican for 2025-26 club competitions

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:30:18 +0000

November 24 – Malt behemoth Barbican has extended its partnership with the Asian Football Confederation as ‘a global supporter’ of the club competitions for the 2025-26 season.

Barbican, which produces non-alcoholic beers, will remain a prominent sponsor of AFC flagship competitions, including Champions League Elite, Champions League Two and the Women’s Champions League.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Barbican will provide activate the sponsorship via contents across the competitions.

Comfortable in the skin, Aveeno joins Women’s Asian Cup 2026 sponsor roster

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:35:46 +0000

November 21 – The Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 is on a roll. With 100 days to go the AFC has added skincare brand Aveeno as an Official Regional Partner.

At the centre of the brand’s marketing for the tournament will be the highlighting the importance of health, confidence, and empowerment, aligning with the AFC’s own commitment to empowering women, promoting health and well-being, and celebrating excellence in Asian women’s football.

AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John said: “This collaboration aligns with our shared aspirations to provide our world-class women footballers with the best platform to showcase their talent and strengthen our engagement with our passionate fans across the Continent and beyond… We thank Avenio for underlining their belief in the promising future of women’s football in Asia.”

The tournament will be played March 1 to 21 in Australia across five stadiums in Sydney,

Inaugural Futsal Women’s World Cup set to kick-off in Philippines Friday

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:27:33 +0000

November 19 – Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, said the Philippines hosting of the Futsal Women’s World Cup “represents a turning point for the sport across the globe”.

The 16 team finals that kick off November 21 (Friday) and run until December 7, are the first time a women’s Futsal World Cup finals have been staged.

“Asia is delighted to be entrusted with the honour of playing a pivotal role in this historic journey,” said Salman.

107th minute penalty win over UAE sends Iraq into 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Play-offs

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:40:48 +0000

November 19 – Iraq have kept their 2026 World Cup hopes alive with a dramatic late finish, edging the UAE 3–2 on aggregate thanks to a penalty deep into the 107th minute in Basra.

Iraq now move into March’s six-team intercontinental play-off, chasing a return to the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

With the match seemingly bound for extra time and tension rising around Basra International Stadium, Iraq’s Amir Al-Ammari held his nerve after a lengthy VAR review and converted the decisive spot-kick to seal his side’s place in the intercontinental playoffs in March.

North Korea to open defence of AFC women’s U20 title in same group as southern rivals

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:18:50 +0000

November 11 – North Korea, fresh from their win in the U17 Women’s World Cup have drawn their neighbours South Korea, in the group stages of the 12-team AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup to be played in Thailand April 1-18, 2026.

North Korea are both Asian and World U20 women’s champions. South Korea have twice won the women’s U20 title. Also drawn in group B are Uzbekistan and Jordan.

Thailand, hosting the U20 finals for a second time,

Draw for 2026 Futsal Asian Cup in Indonesia pitches 13-time winners Iran against Saudi and Malaysia

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 01:01:48 +0000

November 6 – The 16 teams qualified for the finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 have been drawn into four groups at the at the MNC Conference Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Indonesian finals will be the 18th edition of the biennial Asian Futsal Cup and will be played January 27 to February 7 in Jakarta.

Groups will be played across two venues, the 16,500-capacity Indonesia Arena, and the 8,500 capacity Jakarta International Velodrome.

Aussies snap up Gold Coast Stadium tickets for Women’s Asian Cup 2026

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 03:39:14 +0000

October 30 – Organisers of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 have sold out the first ticket allocation for the Australia vs Iran match at the Gold Coast Stadium on March 5.

Tickets for all Australia’s matches are in high demand with their opening game against the Philippines on March 1 at Perth Stadium, which will also hold the official Opening Ceremony, also selling strongly with just over four months to go to kick-off.

Chaotic scenes in Doha as Qatar win 2026 slot; Saudi squeeze past Iraq on goals scored

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:03:01 +0000

October 15 – Saudi Arabia and Qatar will fill the two remaining AFC automatic qualifying places for the 2026 World Cup after topping their groups in the final winner takes all ties against Iraq and the UAE.

Qatar’s win, the first time they have qualified for the World Cup finals that they hosted in 2020, was marred by ugly scenes after Boualem Khoukhi celebrated his opening goal in front of the away section of supporters at a packed out at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Wins for Iraq and UAE set up winner-takes-all 2026 finales against Saudi and Qatar

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:00:19 +0000

October 13 – The final two AFC group qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup will go down to the wire on Tuesday with two winner takes all matches.

Iraq ended Indonesia’s hopes of automatic qualification with a 1-0 win in Group B, while the UAE dispatched Oman’s hopes of qualifying for their first World Cup finals with a 3-2 comeback win in Group A.

Iraq now meet Saudi Arabia for the 2026 automatic qualifying slot.

Saudi’s take pole 2026 qualifying position in Riyadh as Qatar stumble in Doha

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:39:59 +0000

October 9 – Saudi Arabia took a big step towards the 2026 World Cup finals and one of the two remaining Asian qualifying slots with a 3-2 win over Indonesia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Riyadh.

The Saudis now have to beat Iraq next Tuesday, again in Riyadh, in the final game of Group B qualifying to secure their slot. Before then Indonesia will need to beat Iraq to keep automatic qualification hopes alive.

Qatar and Saudi host final AFC 2026 qualifiers with six nations vying for two slots

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:56:55 +0000

October 5 – The deciders for the last two automatic AFC slots for the 2026 World Cup will be played over the next 10 days with the six remaining teams divided into two winner takes all groups of three.

Matches start Wednesday with Qatar playing Oman at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Qatar will host Group A which also involves the UAE. Saudi Arabia will host Group B with Indonesia and Iraq.

Ticket demand high for Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 as Aussie games near sell-out

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 03:54:44 +0000

October 6 – The AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 is shaping up to be one of the hottest tickets in Australian sport, with the Matildas’ group-stage fixtures already driving record-breaking demand according to local organisers.

Tickets for Australia’s clash with Iran at the Gold Coast Stadium on March 5 are almost completely sold out, marking the tournament’s first near-sell-out just days after going on sale and with just under five months until kickoff.

Hosts Saudi Arabia to open U23 Asian Cup against Kyrgyz Republic in Jeddah

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 03:54:48 +0000

October 3 – The AFC has drawn the groups for the U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 that kicks off January 6 in Jeddah.

The 16 teams were divided into four groups for the seventh edition of the tournament.

Hosts and 2022 champions Saudi Arabia will open the tournament at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium against tournament debutants Kyrgyz Republic in Group A. Saudi are one of the favourites to return to the stadium for the final on January 24.

Online store opens for Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026; volunteer registration deadline nears

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 03:34:04 +0000

September 29 – The Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 Official Online Store is now live with a range of officially licensed merchandise, including apparel, headwear, and accessories (key rings, lanyards, etc).

The competition kicks off 1 March with the final being played March 21. Games will be played in Sydney, Perth and on the Gold Coast.
AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John said: “Merchandise plays a crucial role in engaging sporting fans and in raising awareness during all major competitions and we are pleased to mark our latest milestone of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026.

Riyadh and Jeddah named as host cities for 2026 U23 Asian Cup

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:10:26 +0000

September 22 – Riyadh and Jeddah have been selected as host cities for the junior Asian Cup next year in Saudi Arabia, organisers have confirmed.

The two cities will stage the tournament from 7 to 25 January 2026, with 16 teams competing for the U-23 Asian Cup crown. The 27,000-seater Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City in Jeddah will welcome both the opening match and the final while the 62,000-seater King Abdullah Sports City on the other side of the city will organise the semifinals.