Articles by Martin Lowe

About Martin Lowe

Martin Lowe is a freelance football writer who has been covering Asian football for the best part of the last decade. He appeared on Al Jazeera English television and Football Nation Radio during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, whilst writing for Sandals for Goalposts and other Asian football focused platforms. He has been a senior contributor to The Asian Game website since our launch in 2019.

Road to Qatar 2022: Iran take steps forward…and then back again

September 8, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. In what will be their third successive World Cup appearance, Iran’s journey along the Road to Qatar from continental […]

Road to Qatar 2022: The culmination of a dream

September 2, 2022 Martin Lowe

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. The starting pistol on Qatar’s road to 2022 was fired nearly 12 years ago, setting off the longest ever […]

Pakhtakor face challenge to retain Uzbek title

August 19, 2022 Martin Lowe

Back in March, I posed the eternal plea – could Uzbek football finally present a competitive Super League season? I floated the question more in hope than expectancy, but as we are soon to be […]

Saudi’s future shines for historic U23 triumph

June 21, 2022 Martin Lowe

Saudi Arabia were crowned U23 AFC Asian Cup champions for the first time this weekend, following an ultimately comprehensive 2-0 victory over hosts Uzbekistan at Milliy Stadium in Tashkent, following 32 matches squeezed into under […]

Thrills and spills expected as Asian Cup qualifying concludes

June 6, 2022 Martin Lowe

This coming week greets the culmination of Asian Cup 2023 qualification with the final round of qualifiers set to take place across the continent. Three years in the making, one sizeable pandemic-shaped-inconvenience navigated, the competing […]

U23 Asian Cup to shine spotlight on Asia’s next generation

June 1, 2022 Martin Lowe

The biennial AFC U23 Championship, newly rebranded as the U23 AFC Asian Cup, is set to kick off a month-long international football feast in Asia, with the youth tournament playing second fiddle behind the culmination […]

OPINION: AFC must consider the good of the game when deciding World Cup fate

May 17, 2022 Martin Lowe

As the great and the good of association administrators prepare to descend on the 32nd AFC Congress this coming week, the power to change the course of development and opportunity across Asian football couldn’t be […]

AFC Champions League: West Zone review

May 3, 2022 Martin Lowe

The exhausting, sometimes exhilarating, occasionally drawn out AFC Champions League group stage in the West concluded last Wednesday evening with a mix of emotions. Following 60 games in the space of 20 short days, the […]

Central Asia looking to prove their worth as ACL kicks off

April 5, 2022 Martin Lowe

The forthcoming AFC Champions League season is set to kick off this Thursday in Saudi Arabia, as the West region of the continental club championship returns for 2022. Amongst the participants, Central Asia’s presence swells […]

Qualification complete, Asia’s true test awaits in Qatar

March 31, 2022 Martin Lowe

Four years is a long time in football. Drawing to a close another cycle of qualification in Asia, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Japan will once again represent the continent in the main World […]