The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. It is one of the six continental confederations under FIFA and is responsible for organising international competitions for national teams and clubs within its jurisdiction, including the AFC Asian Cup and AFC Champions League Elite. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the AFC comprises 47 member associations.
History The idea of an Asian Football Confederation was first brought up during the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. On 8 May 1954, the AFC was officially formed at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila, Philippines. The first president was Lo Man-kam of Hong Kong, and the first office was based in Hong Kong. The 13 founding members included Afghanistan, Burma, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, South Vietnam, and Taiwan.香港足球總會九十週年紀念特刊 (Hong Kong Football Association 90th Anniversary Booklet) 2004
Of the AFC's original 13 member associations, only seven entered the qualifying tournament for the inaugural AFC Asian Cup in 1956. Four teams ultimately qualified for the final tournament, which was held in then-British Hong Kong. The 1956 tournament was the first edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the world's second-oldest continental national-team football competition.
Arab countries entered the Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time in the 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification, following Israel's withdrawal. Israel was eventually expelled from the AFC in 1974, due to political pressure from Arab and Muslim members that refused to play against Israel.
In 1958, the office relocated from Hong Kong to Malaysia. In 2000, the AFC House was inaugurated as the AFC's headquarters; based in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, the construction cost RM 18 million (US$ 8.18 million).
Women's football The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) was the section of AFC that managed women's association football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, British Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. In 1986, ALFC merged with AFC.
Executive committee On 1 February 2023, the AFC's member associations elected the AFC Executive Committee for the term 2023 to 2027. Including the AFC president, the AFC has seven members on the FIFA Council.
AFC President and FIFA Senior Vice President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa
AFC Vice Presidents Hachem Haidar Mehdi Taj Ugen Tsechup Zaw Zaw Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar
AFC Female Executive Committee Members Susan Riyad Abdelrahim Al Shalabi Mahfuza Akhter Kiron Kanya Keomany Han Un-gyong
FIFA Council Members Kohzo Tashima Hamidin Mohd Amin Kanya Keomany Mariano Araneta Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Thani Yasser Al Misehal
AFC Executive Committee Members Abdullah Ahmed Alshaheen Alrabeea Abdullah Nasser Aljneibi Bassam Adeel Jaleel Pankaj Bikram Nembang Chris Nikou Somyot Poompanmoung Ravshan Irmatov Eric Fok Kai Shan Shaji Prabhakaran Anura De Silva
List of AFC presidents
PresidentNationalityTermLo Man-kam 1954Kwok Chan 1954–1956William Louey 1956–1957Chan Nam-cheong 1957–1958Tunku Abdul Rahman 1958–1976Kambiz Atabay 1976–1978Hamzah Abu Samah 1978–1994Ahmad Shah 1994–2002Mohammed bin Hammam 2002–2011Zhang Jilong 2011–2013 (acting)Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa 2013–present
Members
Due to the geographical size of Asia, the AFC is subdivided into five sub-confederations: ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) – represents countries in Southeast Asia, plus Australia. Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) – represents countries in Central Asia, comprising Afghanistan, Iran and most of Central Asia, except Kazakhstan. East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) – represents nations in East Asia, plus Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) – represents countries in South Asia. West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) – represents countries in West Asia, except Israel.
Code Association National teams Founded FIFAaffiliation AFCaffiliation Sub-confederation IOCmemberAFG 1933 1948 1954 CAFA AUS 1961 1963 2006 AFF BHR 1957 1968 1969 WAFF BAN 1972 1976 1974 SAFF BHU 1983 2000 1993 SAFF BRU 1952 1972 1969 AFF CAM 1933 1954 1954 AFF CHN 1924 1931 1974 EAFF TPE 1936 1954 1954 EAFF GUM 1975 1996 1991 EAFF HKG 1914 1954 1954 EAFF IND 1937 1948 1954 SAFF IDN 1930 1952 1954 AFF IRN 1920 1948 1958 CAFA IRQ 1948 1950 1970 WAFF JPN 1921 1929 1954 EAFF JOR 1949 1956 1970 WAFF KUW 1952 1964 1964 WAFF KGZ 1992 1994 1993 CAFA LAO 1951 1952 1968 AFF LBN 1933 1936 1964 WAFF MAC 1939 1978 1978 EAFF MAS 1933 1954 1954 AFF MDV 1982 1986 1984 SAFF MNG 1959 1998 1993 EAFF MYA 1947 1948 1954 AFF NEP 1951 1972 1954 SAFF PRK 1945 1958 1974 EAFF NMI 2005 N/A 2020 EAFF OMA 1978 1980 1980 WAFF PAK 1947 1948 1954 SAFF PLE 1998 1998 1998 WAFF PHI 1907 1930 1954 AFF QAT 1960 1972 1974 WAFF KSA 1956 1956 1972 WAFF SGP 1892 1952 1954 AFF KOR 1928 1948 1954 EAFF SRI 1939 1952 1954 SAFF SYR 1936 1937 1970 WAFF TJK 1936 1994 1993 CAFA THA 1916 1925 1954 AFF TLS 2002 2005 2002 AFF TKM 1992 1994 1993 CAFA UAE 1971 1974 1974 WAFF UZB 1946 1994 1993 CAFA VIE 1960 1952 1954 AFF YEM 1962 1980 1980 WAFF
Former members AssociationYearNoteNZL1964Founding member of the OFC in 1966.ISR1954–1974Joined UEFA after international matches against national teams representing Arab countries boycotted by the West Asian Football Federation. Later became a full UEFA member in 1994.VSOUnified with North Vietnam as Vietnam.YMDUnified with North Yemen as Yemen.KAZ1993–2002Joined UEFA in 2002.
Competitions
AFC competitions The AFC organises the AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Women's Asian Cup, both held every four years. It also runs the AFC Futsal Asian Cup, AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup, and the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup, along with various youth and age-group international football and futsal tournaments. In addition, the AFC oversees the Asian qualifying tournaments for the FIFA World Cup and for football at the Summer Olympics.
The premier men's club competition is the AFC Champions League Elite, which is an amalgamation of the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, and the Asian Super Cup. It features leading clubs from AFC member associations, with the number of participating teams determined by the ranking of each association, allowing for promotion or relegation of slots based on performance. The top-tier women's club competition is the AFC Women's Champions League, introduced in the 2024–25 season.AFC Women's Club Championship the-afc.com
The second-tier men's club competition is the AFC Champions League Two, while the third tier is the AFC Challenge League, both of which were restructured and rebranded in 2024.
The AFC also organises the annual AFC Futsal Club Championship, the continent’s premier club futsal competition.AFC Futsal Club Championship the-afc.com
National teams: Men AFC Asian Cup AFC Nations League AFC U-23 Asian Cup AFC U-20 Asian Cup AFC U-17 Asian Cup AFC Futsal Asian Cup AFC U-20 Futsal Asian Cup AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Women AFC Women's Asian Cup AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup Esports AFC eAsian Cup
Clubs: Men AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two AFC Challenge League AFC Futsal Club Championship Women AFC Women's Champions League Esports AFC eChampions League Elite
Defunct
National teams: Men AFC Solidarity Cup AFC Challenge Cup Afro-Asian Cup of Nations AFC–OFC Challenge Cup AFC U-14 Championship Women AFC U-14 Girls' Regional Championship Clubs: Men Asian Cup Winners' Cup Asian Super Cup Afro-Asian Club Championship AFC Futsal Club Championship Women AFC Women's Club Championship
Current title holders
Competition Year Champions Title Runners-up Next editionMen's national teams Asian Cup (qualification) 2023 (qual.) 2nd 2027 (qual.) Nations League — — — — TBD U-23 Asian Cup 2026 (qual.) 3rd 2028 (qual.) U-20 Asian Cup 2025 (qual.) 1st 2027 (qual.) U-17 Asian Cup 2026 (qual.) 5th 2027 (qual.) Futsal Asian Cup 2026 (qual.) 14th 2028 (qual.) U-20 Futsal Asian Cup 2019 (qual.) 1st 2029 (qual.) Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025 4th 2026Women's national teams Women's Asian Cup (qualification) 2026 (qual.) 3rd 2029 (qual.) U-20 Women's Asian Cup 2026 (qual.) 7th 2028 (qual.) U-17 Women's Asian Cup 2026 (qual.) 5th 2027 (qual.) Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 N/A 2028 Women's Futsal Asian Cup 2025 1st 2027Men's club teams Champions League Elite 2025–26 Al-Ahli 2nd Machida Zelvia 2026–27 Champions League Two 2025–26 Gamba Osaka 1st Al-Nassr 2026–27 Challenge League 2025–26 Kuwait 1st Svay Rieng 2026–27 Futsal Club Championship 2019 Nagoya Oceans 4th Mes Sungun 2027Women's club teams Women's Champions League 2025–26 Naegohyang 1st Tokyo Verdy Beleza 2026–27 (qual.)
Esports
Competition Current Game Winner Details Runner-up Next AFC eAsian Cup 2023 eFootball 2024 Indonesia Final Japan TBD AFC eChampions League Elite 2025 eFootball 2025 Al NassrFinal Persepolis 2026
Defunct tournaments
Competition Last held Champions Title Runners-upMen's national teams Afro-Asian Cup of Nations 2007 2nd AFC–OFC Challenge Cup 2003 1st AFC Solidarity Cup 2016 1st AFC Challenge Cup 2014 1st AFC U-14 Championship 2014 1st Men's club teams Afro-Asian Club Championship 1998 Raja Casablanca 1st Pohang Steelers Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2001–02 Al Hilal 2nd Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Asian Super Cup 2002 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2nd Al HilalWomen's club teams AFC Women's Club Championship 2023 Urawa Red Diamonds 1st Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels
Titles by nation NationMenWomenFutsalBeach soccerTotalAsiaU23U20U17AsiaU20U17Men'sU20Women'sMen's 4 3 1 5 3 7 4 4 1 1 3 36 3 – 4 1 – – – 14 1 2 4 29 2 1 12 2 – 2 1 – – – – 20 – – 3 2 3 2 5 – – – – 15 – – 1 2 9 1 – – – – – 13 3 1 3 2 – – – – – – – 9 1 1 5 1 – – – – – – – 8 1 – 6 – – – – – – – – 7 – – 7 – – – – – – – – 7 2 – 1 1 – – – – – – – 4 – – 2 1 1 – – – – – – 4 – 1 1 2 – – – – – – – 4 1 – 1 – 1 – – – – – – 3 – – – – 3 – – – – – – 3 – – – 2 – – – – – – 1 3 – – 1 – – – – – – – 2 3 – – – – – – – – – – 1 1 – – 1 – – – – – – – – 1 – – 1 – – – – – – – – 1 1 – – – – – – – – – – 1 – – – – 1 – – – – – – 1 – – 1 – – – – – – – – 1
FIFA World Rankings
Overview
Team of the Year
+ Teams ranking in the top four – Men'sYearFirstSecondThirdFourth202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993
+ Teams ranking in the top four – Women'sYearFirstSecondThirdFourth202520242023 20222021202020192018201720162015201420132012201120102009200820072006200520042003
Major tournament records Legend – Champions – Runners-up – Third place – Fourth place – Semi-finals QF – Quarter-finals (1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present) R3 — Round 3 (2026–present: knockout round of 16) R2 — Round 2 (1974–1978: second group stage, top 8; 1982: second group stage, top 12; 1986–2022: knockout round of 16; 2026–present: knockout round of 32) R1 — Round 1 (1930, 1950–1970 and 1986–present: group stage; 1934–1938: knockout round of 16; 1974–1982: first group stage) — Qualified for upcoming tournament — Qualified but withdrew — 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