EXPLORE THE ASIAN GAME
Football through an Asian lens.
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EDITORIAL
Stories that look beyond the scoreline.
Reporting, analysis, interviews and ideas that explore Asian football through the people, places and forces shaping the game.
THE LEAD
ANALYSIS
The Nations League is coming: The AFC’s plan to reshape Asian football
Three tiers, promotion and relegation, a biennial finals series and new pathways to the Asian Cup…
EXPLORE EDITORIAL
Four ways into the stories, ideas and conversations shaping Asian football.
FEATURES
Long-form stories exploring the people, places and forces shaping Asian football.
ANALYSIS
Context, insight and explanation that looks beyond the result to understand why it matters.
OPINION
Arguments, perspectives and ideas from writers with something meaningful to say about the Asian game.
INTERVIEWS
Conversations with the players, coaches and figures whose experiences help explain the game from within.
FROM THE LENS
Stories that reflect how we see Asian football.
TAG
A new lens for a new era
When The Asian Game launched in 2017, it was built on a simple belief: Asian football deserved to…
ANALYSIS
More football, or better football? Asia’s international game at a crossroads
From Southeast Asia to the Gulf, regional tournaments remain deeply embedded in Asian football culture. But…
FEATURE
When South America came calling: India’s enduring ties with Brazil and Uruguay
Brazil and Uruguay arrive in Kolkata for a historic international window, but the connections run far…
LATEST EDITORIAL
The latest reporting, analysis and conversations from across Asian football.
ANALYSIS
Asian Cup a reminder of all that is good in Asian football
Four weeks of twists and turns, comebacks and shocks, the AFC Asian Cup 2023 may have been delayed seven months longer than…
ANALYSIS
Qatar complete historic title defence
‘2019 Done. 2023 Loading…’ The banner briefly unfurled by the Qatari fans in the fading moments of injury time said it all.…
FEATURE
Ammouta aims for Asian glory in familiar surroundings
The year is 2000. A young Qatari journalist named Khalid Jassem, in his 20s, is interviewing a group of footballers seated in…
ANALYSIS
History and immortality on the line in unlikely Asian Cup Final
History beckons and immortality awaits for whoever emerges victorious from one of the most unlikely AFC Asian Cup finals; Qatar facing off…
ANALYSIS
Why Team Melli divides, rather than unites, Iran
Sporting successes typically unites nations, especially during difficult times, providing its populace with a shared source of pride. However, over the past…
ANALYSIS
Class shines through as Afif stars in Qatar’s renaissance
Spare a thought for Aymen Hussein, the Iraq striker whose tournament ended a week and a half ago, as he sits, watches…
THE ASIAN LENS
The game is bigger than the ninety minutes.
Asian football is shaped by history, identity, ambition, culture, politics and place. Our journalism exists to understand those forces — and tell the stories that emerge from them.