AFC CUP
Mahdi Khalil dreams of a bright future
With the AFC Cup in the bag, Mahdi Khalil has set his sights on the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and his next chapter. When Mahdi Khalil was called up to the podium to accept […]
world cup
ANALYSIS
Indonesia – Asia’s most confused and confusing side
The prospect of four Southeast Asian sides squaring off in hard-fought battles and conspiring to topple the UAE in Group G was arguably always too good to be true. A foursome turning into a threesome […]
ANALYSIS
Coaches under pressure as qualifying heats up
The slow burner that is World Cup qualification draws to a close for the calendar year this week, as we hit the halfway stage of the Round 2 group stage. For many thus far it’s […]
FEATURES
‘Lights of Rome’: Remembering UAE’s golden generation
Thirty years to the day that Emirati football history was created, Ali Khaled looks back on that historic day in Singapore. It would be wrong to say the dream was dying. There had been no […]
PODCAST
The Asian Game – Episode 43
Asian football expert Martin Lowe once again joins Scott and Paul to review World Cup qualifying as they give their Good, Bad & Undecided verdicts. Plus we hear from Iraqi debutant Jiloan Hamad on pulling […]
ANALYSIS
In appreciation of Cambodia – yes, the team that just lost 14-0
You may have noticed, Iran played Cambodia on Thursday and it got really ugly, really fast. A thrashing in Tehran was arguably inevitable but it was made „worse“ by the increased coverage due to the […]
ANALYSIS
Tajikistan: The rise of the Crowns from Dushanbe
It would have surprised many to see Tajikistan atop their World Cup qualification group come the end of September, but what could initially be assumed as a one-off flash in the pan, instead has roots […]
ANALYSIS
Still short on firepower, Taiwan’s best generation may come to waste
Let’s say I’d ask you to give me one Asian nation that’s currently living through the golden years of its entire history, or at least the modern era. A couple of you would waste no […]
ANALYSIS
WCQ Preview: Regional rivalries to light up
Round 2 of World Cup Qualification is never a stage that the Asian elite are particularly fond of; either made to play out comfortable victories or suffer from an outsider out to break a record […]
ANALYSIS
Style & Identity: Asian football seeks a way forward
Identity in football is hot business at the moment, and like anything that is proven to walk hand-in-hand with success, a unified vision, style or philosophy is one that is currently being striven for across the […]