Asian Football Confederation

The Asian Football Confederation was founded on 7 May 1954 in Manila, Philippines.[4] Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Republic of China (Chinese Taipei), Hong Kong, Iran, India, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and South Vietnam were founding members.[5][6]

The AFC Asian Cup is the second-oldest continental football competition in the world, with four teams taking part in the first edition in the then-British Hong Kong in 1956.[7]

The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) is the section of the AFC who manage women's football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1986 the ALFC merged with the AFC.[8] The Asian Ladies Football Confederation helped organize the AFC Women's Asian Cup, first held in 1975, as well as the AFC's AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup and the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup.

The AFC has been accused of its political nepotism and corruption within the federation.

Hakeem al-Araibi, Bahraini footballer turned political refugee in Australia, was arrested by Thai police on his honeymoon to Thailand in November 2018. He faced extradition charges from the Bahraini government on the false accusation over his involvement in the Bahraini uprising of 2011 that he instigated the attack on a police station. As Thailand did not sign the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Thai economic interests with Bahrain, and the ruling president of the AFC, Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, is a member of Bahraini Royal family, fear that the AFC might set up as culprit for the deportation, triggered international outcry. Australia and FIFA eventually intervened and Thai officials would release Hakeem in February 2019, but this highlighted rampant political corruption in the AFC.[9][10]

The AFC Asian Cup is also marked with numerous instances of political interference. One of these was the case of Israel, as the team used to be a member of the AFC but following Yom Kippur War and increasing tensions against the Arab AFC members, Israel was expelled from the AFC in 1974 and had to compete in OFC until being granted UEFA membership in 1990.[11] Meanwhile, similar cases also exist in other AFC tournaments like the one between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Following the 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, Saudi Arabia has rejected playing with Iran and even threatens to withdraw if the AFC refuses to follow, and even extended it to international level.[12] Tensions between the two Koreas during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification had led North Korea to withdraw from hosting the South Korean team and refusing to display the South Korean flag and play their national anthem. As a result, North Korea's home matches were moved to Shanghai.[13]

In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the United Arab Emirates, Qatari fans were barred from entering the country as part of the ongoing Qatar diplomatic crisis, despite the earlier slogan "Bringing Asia Together", although the Emirati government later announced that it would permit Qatari citizens temporary entry into the country pending approval from Emirati authorities.[14] According to a report, Saoud al-Mohannadi, a Qatari national who is the AFC vice-president and chairman of the organizing committee for the Asian Cup, was unable to enter the UAE two days prior to the tournament's start because Emirati authorities had not yet cleared him.[15] The director of the 2019 AFC Organizing Committee denied reports that Al Mohannadi was refused entry and declared that Al Mohannadi has arrived on Friday morning and was preparing for his meetings. The director stated that there was no evidence that shows he was unable to enter and stated that this news has "political purposes". He stated, "We try to keep sports away from politics."[16] Since then, the Qatari team faced imminent discrimination from the host nation, and even in the semi-finals when Qatar faced up host nation, UAE supporters threw bottles and footwear into the match after Qatari players scored their second goal, the latter is considered deeply offensive in the Middle East. One of the Qatari players, Salem Al Hajri, was struck on the head with a shoe after Qatar scored its third goal. This conduct was preceded by booing the Qatari national anthem. The two countries had had a hostile relationship and had cut ties due to the ongoing diplomatic crisis.[17] Qatar won 4–0 despite the situation, reaching their first Asian Cup final and would go on to win the tournament for the first time.[18][19][20] Afterwards, the AFC declared that it would conduct an investigation into the proceedings,[19][21] eventually punished the UAEFA over the incident, fined $150,000 US dollars for the incident and had to play their first 2022 and 2023 qualification game in closed doors.[22] However, on 21 September, AFC had mysteriously lifted the ban just a few weeks before the match has begun.[23]

During the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, North Korea reluctantly agreed to host the South Korean team in Pyongyang, the first time North Korea hosted South Korea at home in a competitive match. Enthusiasm thus ran high due to aspiration of reconciliation between two Koreas, only to be later shattered by the North Korean Government banning supporters from entering the stadium, and aggressive performance by the Northern players to the Southern counterparts. The match ended a goalless draw, but as for the result of controversies, South Korea decided to pull out the bid for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and accused North Korea of political meddling in sports. The AFC was accused of doing little about the case, which led to the AFC to decide the final of the 2019 AFC Cup would not be hosted in North Korea.[24]

In 2020 AFC Champions League, the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran received a letter from the AFC on 17 January 2020 announcing that teams from Iran would not be allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns.[25][26] The four AFC Champions League teams from Iran announced on 18 January 2020 that they would withdraw from the tournament if the ban was not reversed.[27][28] The AFC announced on 23 January 2020 that any group stage matches which the Iranian teams were supposed to host on matchdays 1, 2 and 3 would be switched with the corresponding away matches to allow time to reassess the security concerns in the country.[29][30][31]

On 9 March 2020, FIFA announced in a statement that matches between Asian qualifiers for World Cup 2022, which were scheduled for March and June, are postponed to a later time. The decision has been made due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2.[32] On August 12, 2020, FIFA and the AFC have jointly decided that the upcoming qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, originally scheduled to take place during the international match windows in October and November 2020, will be rescheduled to 2021.[33]

AFC President and FIFA Senior Vice President[34]

• Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa

FIFA Council Members[34]

• Du Zhaocai
• Praful Patel
• Kohzo Tashima
• Mariano Araneta
• Saoud Al-Mohannadi
• Mahfuza Akhter Kiron

AFC Vice Presidents[34]

• Saoud Al-Mohannadi
• Mehdi Taj
• Faisal Saleh Hayat
• Zaw Zaw
• Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar

AFC Executive Committee Members[34]

• Abed-Alkhaliq Masoud Ahmed
• Hachem Haider
• Salem Said Salem Al Wahaibi
• Hamid Mohammed Ali Al-Shaibani
• Dasho Ugen Tsechup Dorji
• Chris Nikou
• Hamidin Mohd Amin
• Tran Quoc Tuan
• Fok Kai Shan Eric
• Susan Shalabi Molano
• Kanya Keomany
• Han Un-gyong

General Secretary

• Windsor John

AFC regional federations

AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

AFC National League The AFC has 47 member associations which split into five regions. Several nations proposed a South West Asian Federation but that will not interfere with AFC zones.[35][36][37]

Code	Association	National teams	Founded	FIFA affiliation	AFC affiliation	IOC member
West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) (12)
BHR	Bahrain	(M, W)	1957	1968	1969	Yes
IRQ	Iraq	(M, W)	1948	1950	1970	Yes
JOR	Jordan	(M, W)	1949	1956	1970	Yes
KUW	Kuwait	(M, W)	1952	1964	1964	Yes
LBN	Lebanon	(M, W)	1933	1936	1964	Yes
OMA	Oman	(M, W)	1978	1980	1980	Yes
PLE	Palestine	(M, W)	1928	1995	1995	Yes
QAT	Qatar	(M, W)	1960	1972	1974	Yes
KSA	Saudi Arabia	(M)	1956	1956	1972	Yes
SYR	Syria	(M, W)	1936	1937	1970	Yes
UAE	United Arab Emirates	(M, W)	1971	1974	1974	Yes
YEM	Yemen	(M, W)	1962	1980	1980	Yes
Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) (6)
AFG	Afghanistan	(M, W)	1933	1948	1954	Yes
IRN	Iran	(M, W)	1920	1948	1954	Yes
KGZ	Kyrgyzstan	(M, W)	1992	1994	1993	Yes
TJK	Tajikistan	(M, W)	1936	1994	1993	Yes
TKM	Turkmenistan	(M, W)	1992	1994	1993	Yes
UZB	Uzbekistan	(M, W)	1946	1994	1993	Yes
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) (7)
BAN	Bangladesh	(M, W)	1972	1976	1974	Yes
BHU	Bhutan	(M, W)	1983	2000	1993	Yes
IND	India	(M, W)	1937	1948	1954	Yes
MDV	Maldives	(M, W)	1982	1986	1984	Yes
NEP	Nepal	(M, W)	1951	1972	1954	Yes
PAK	Pakistan	(M, W)	1947	1948	1954	Yes
SRI	Sri Lanka	(M, W)	1939	1952	1954	Yes
ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) (12)
AUS	Australia[m 1]	(M, W)	1961	1963	2006	Yes[m 2]
BRU	Brunei	(M, W)	1952	1972	1969	Yes
CAM	Cambodia	(M, W)	1933	1954	1954	Yes
IDN	Indonesia	(M, W)	1930	1952	1954	Yes
LAO	Laos	(M, W)	1951	1952	1968	Yes
MAS	Malaysia	(M, W)	1933	1954	1954	Yes
MYA	Myanmar	(M, W)	1947	1948	1954	Yes
PHI	Philippines	(M, W)	1907	1930	1954	Yes
SIN	Singapore	(M, W)	1892	1952	1954	Yes
THA	Thailand	(M, W)	1916	1925	1954	Yes
TLS	Timor-Leste	(M, W)	2002	2005	2002	Yes
VIE	Vietnam	(M, W)	1960	1952	1954	Yes
East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) (10)
CHN	China PR	(M, W)	1924	1931	1974	Yes
TPE	Chinese Taipei[m 3]	(M, W)	1936	1954	1954	Yes
GUM	Guam	(M, W)	1975	1996	1991	Yes[m 2]
HKG	Hong Kong	(M, W)	1914	1954	1954	Yes
JPN	Japan	(M, W)	1921	1921	1954	Yes
PRK	North Korea	(M, W)	1945	1958	1974	Yes
KOR	South Korea	(M, W)	1928	1948	1954	Yes
MAC	Macau	(M, W)	1939	1978	1978	No[m 4]
MNG	Mongolia	(M, W)	1959	1998	1993	Yes
NMI	Northern Mariana Islands	(M, W)	2005	N/A	2020	No[m 5]

•  Israel, 1954–1974. Expelled from AFC

competitions in 1974, as a result of a proposal by Kuwait which was adopted by a vote of 17 to 13 with 6 abstentions.[38] Became full UEFA members in 1994.

•  New Zealand, 1964.[39] Founding member of OFC

in 1966.

•  South Yemen, 1972–1990.[40] Joined North Yemen as Yemen
•  Kazakhstan, 1993–2002. Joined UEFA in 2002.

The following are the sponsors of AFC (named "AFC Partners")[42]

• Emirates FLY BETTER
• Nikon Corporation
• Kirin
• Asahi
• Toyota
• CREDIT SAISON
• Makita
• FamilyMart
• Continental
• KDDI (au)
• Molten
• TAG Heuer
• SHARAF DG

• Harry Kewell[50]
• Bhaichung Bhutia
• Homayoun Behzadi[51]
• Ali Daei
• Yasuhiko Okudera[52]
• Hong Myung-bo
• Soh Chin Aun
• Sami Al Jaber
• Sun Wen
• Homare Sawa
• Teerasil Dangda
• Bambang Pamungkas

Legend

•  1st  – Champion
•  2nd  – Runner-up
•  3rd  – Third place
•  4th  – Fourth place
• QF – Quarterfinals
• R16 – Round of 16 (since 1986: knockout round of 16)
• GS – Group stage (in the 1950, 1974, 1978, and 1982 tournaments, which had two group stages, this refers to the first group stage)
• 1S – First knockout stage (1934–1938 Single-elimination tournament)
•  •  — Did not qualify
•  ×  — Did not enter / withdrawn / banned / disqualified
•     — Hosts

For each tournament, the flag of the host country and the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.

FIFA World Cup

Main article: National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup

See also: Asian nations at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record
Team	1930 (13)	1934 (16)	1938 (15)	1950 (13)	1954 (16)	1958 (16)	1962 (16)	1966 (16)	1970 (16)	1974 (16)	1978 (16)	1982 (24)	1986 (24)	1990 (24)	1994 (24)	1998 (32)	2002 (32)	2006 (32)	2010 (32)	2014 (32)	2018 (32)	2022 (32)	2026 (48)	Years
South Korea	Did not exist			×	GS	×	•	×	•	•	•	•	GS	GS	GS	GS	4th	GS	R16	GS	GS			10
Japan	×	×	×	×	•	×	•	×	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	GS	R16	GS	R16	GS	R16			6
Iran	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	•	GS	×	×	•	•	GS	•	GS	•	GS	GS			5
Saudi Arabia	Did not exist					×	×	×	×	×	•	•	•	•	R16	GS	GS	GS	•	•	GS			5
Australia	Part of OFC																		GS	GS	GS			3
North Korea	Did not exist			×	×	×	×	QF	×	•	×	•	•	•	•	×	×	•	GS	•	•			2
China PR	×	×	×	×	×	•	×	×	×	×	×	•	•	•	•	•	GS	•	•	•	•			1
Indonesia[53]	×	×	1S	×	×	•	×	×	×	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	×	•		1
Iraq	Did not exist			×	×	×	×	×	×	•	×	•	GS	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•			1
Israel	Did not exist			•	•	•	•	•	GS	•	Not a member of AFC													1
Kuwait	Did not exist			×	×	×	×	×	×	•	•	GS	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•			1
Qatar	Did not exist										×	×	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	q		1
United Arab Emirates	Did not exist										×	×	•	GS	•	•	•	•	•	•	•			1
Total (13 teams)	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	5	4 or 5 +1	TBD	37

FIFA Women's World Cup

Main article: National team appearances in the FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Team	1991 (12)	1995 (12)	1999 (16)	2003 (16)	2007 (16)	2011 (16)	2015 (24)	2019 (24)	2023 (32)	Years
Japan	GS	QF	GS	GS	GS	1st	2nd	R16		8
China PR	QF	4th	2nd	QF	QF	•	QF	R16		7
Australia	Part of OFC				QF	QF	QF	R16	q	5
North Korea	•	×	GS	GS	QF	GS	×	•		4
South Korea	•	•	•	GS	•	•	R16	GS		3
Thailand	•	•	•	•	•	•	GS	GS		2
Chinese Taipei	QF	•	•	•	•	•	•	•		1
Total (7 teams)	3	2	3	4	4	3	5	5	5+1	29