Iran's national football team will continue with head coach Amir Ghalenoei until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The decision follows an unbeaten but ultimately unsuccessful FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign where Iran exited at the group stage. Ghalenoei's contract extension was confirmed by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
China's U17 national team finished as runners-up in the AFC U17 Asian Cup after a 3-2 loss to Japan in the final held in Saudi Arabia. Despite the defeat, the team secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Record winners Japan were drawn in the same group as champions Qatar for next year’s AFC Asian Cup, while hosts Saudi Arabia will meet Kuwait, Oman and Palestine. The draw for the 2027 edition of the continent’s showpiece event, which runs from January 7 to February 5, took place on Saturday in Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh. Saudi Arabia are staging the Asian Cup for the first time as the kingdom views the tournament as a precursor to hosting the 2034 World Cup. “We have the advantage of...
