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Malaysia Sun
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Malaysia Sun
Iran in Pot 2 of U-20 WAC Qualifiers
The competition, which transitioned from its erstwhile identity of a U-19 competition to a U-20 contest in 2022, will see 33 teams compete from August 2 to 10 for the 11 available spots to join host Thailand in the Finals next year. The participating teams, divided into eight groups seven groups of four teams and one group of five will battle in a Group Stage format across eight centralised venues in Bhutan, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The group winners will be joined by the three best runners-up, alongside the host, to complete the cast of 12 teams for the 12th edition of the AFC Womens U-20 Asian Cup, which will take place from April 1 to 18, 2026. The Qualifiers will see two-time champion DPR Korea return to defend its crown while three other former champions, China, Japan and Korea Republic will also vie to reclaim the coveted title. Joining them will be 16 teams Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Timor Leste and Turkmenistan who are seeking to make their maiden appearance in the Finals. With the seedings based on a points system derived from their final rankings across the previous three editions of the Finals, the teams will have their names drawn from five pots, while an additional Hosts Pot will be used to separate the group hosts from the rest of the participants. The pot allocations for the draw, with teams arranged according to rankings and group hosts placed in the Hosts Pot, are as below: Pot 1:DPR Korea, Japan, Australia, Korea Republic Pot 2:Chinese Taipei, Iran, Lebanon, Nepal, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh Pot 3:Hong Kong, China, Cambodia, Palestine, Northern Mariana Islands, Indonesia Pot 4:Guam, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Singapore Pot 5:Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Timor-Leste Hosts Pot: China (Seeding: 1), Vietnam (1), Uzbekistan (1), Myanmar (1), Malaysia (3), Bhutan (3), Laos (3), Tajikistan (4)
Khaleej Times
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Last-gasp goal helps UAE keep Fifa World Cup hopes alive
Sultan Adil's late goal kept UAE' hopes of automatic qualification alive after they secured a last-gasp 2-1 win against North Korea in their AFC World Cup qualifying Group A match on Tuesday. The result moved the UAE to 13 points, four behind second-placed Uzbekistan with just two matches remaining. Iran earlier booked their spot at next year's global showpiece after a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan. UAE seized the early control and went ahead after only five minutes with Fabio de Lima notching his 21st international goal. Harib Abdalla played the ball behind North Korea's defence with Kim Yu Song's attempted clearance bouncing off goalkeeper Kang Ju Hyok to allow Lima to pounce on the rebound and knock home the opener. Paulo Bento's side had North Korea pinned in their own half with Caio Fernandes going close in the 15th minute with a diving header that had Kang beaten but was just slightly off target. The game turned midway through the first half with DPR Korea starting to ask questions of the UAE's defence, Pak Hwang Hun produced a towering header that was inches away from finding the target. North Korea got themselves back on level pegging in the 43rd minute from a corner kick when Jong Hwi Nam's initial header crashed against the bar with Yu Song nodding the rebound home. The second half was a more balanced affair albeit one where chances were few and far in between. Bento and his counterpart, Sin Yong Nam both made changes to their respective sides but the game looked no closer to producing another goal. There was finally some goalmouth action with 10 minutes left on the clock, Kang making back-to-back saves to stop Abdalla Ramadan's free-kick before catching Lucas Pimenta's overhead attempt. With seconds left in the seventh minute of added time, UAE found the winner with Adil glancing home a header from Abdalla's cross to break North Korea hearts. The UAE, on the other hand, reignited their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1990. Asia has eight direct slots for the next Fifa World Cup which will be a 48-team tournament. Eighteen teams have been divided into three groups of six each in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. The UAE have been drawn in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea. South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait are competing in Group B while Group C features Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will then compete in the six-team fourth round of qualifiers. The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three teams. The winners of each group will earn the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up teams will be locked in a playoff battle. The winner of the Asian playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.
Gulf Today
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
UAE and N.Korea face off in crucial clash; Saudi's Renard expects no let-up from Japan
North Korea and UAE will be equally desperate for maximum points when they square off in their AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 Group A tie on Tuesday. UAE have an outside chance of sealing an automatic qualifying spot while North Korea need three points if they are to stand a chance of advancing to the playoffs, where another two additional berths will be at stake. Thursday's 2-0 defeat to Iran all was a body blow to UAE's hopes of winning one of the two automatic qualifying spots but Paulo Bento will urge his players to remain focused despite the setback. Victory for UAE and defeat for Uzbekistan - who face Iran in Tehran - will reignite their hopes for a second appearance at the FIFA World Cup and the Portuguese tactician will remind his players that all they can do now is keep winning. Thursday's 5-1 defeat to Qatar means DPR Korea have no chance of a top two finish, with the loss leaving them rooted at the bottom of the standings with two points. The East Asian side, however, still have an outside chance of making the playoffs and will be determined to respond after Thursday's heavy defeat. Saudi Arabia face Japan: Coach Herve Renard said Saudi Arabia are in a 'tough sprint' to reach the 2026 World Cup but he is not expecting any favours from already qualified Japan on Tuesday. The Saudis are in third place in Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying and trail second-place Australia by a point with three games remaining. The top two teams advance directly to next year's World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, while the third- and fourth-place sides go into another qualifying round. Runaway group leaders Japan have already clinched their place and Renard is not expecting them to take their foot off the gas when they face his Saudi side in Saitama. 'It's a tough sprint for the second position,' the French coach said on Monday. 'Concerning Japan, we know they are disciplined. We know their philosophy so there is no doubt they will play this game at 100 percent.' Renard led the Saudis to a famous victory over eventual winners Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and he returned for a second stint in October last year when Roberto Mancini was fired. The Saudis picked up their first win in five qualifiers when they beat China 1-0 at home last week to move three points clear of Indonesia, Bahrain and China. They still have to travel to play Bahrain in the group before hosting Australia in their final match. First the Saudis have to face a rampant Japan, who have won six and drawn one of their seven games so far and punched their World Cup ticket with a 2-0 win over Bahrain last week. 'We know we are playing against a very strong team but there are only three games remaining so it's very important for us,' said Renard. 'We need to be ready to have a tough game but in football you have to believe in ourself and to believe in our qualification.' Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said he would shuffle his pack to face the Saudis, with striker Ayase Ueda and midfielder Hidemasa Morita having already returned to their clubs. Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma is a doubt after missing training on Monday. Japan captain Wataru Endo said 'who wants to win the game will be more important than tactics'. 'They are in a tough spot and they need to get a result, they want the three points,' said the Liverpool midfielder. 'We need to want it more than them. We're aiming to win the World Cup and we need to give everything in this game.' Elsewhere, China and Australia will spare no effort in their bid for maximum points when they face off in Group C clash. Australia will head into the tie second in the standings while China, despite being rooted at the bottom, still have an outside of qualifying automatically for next year's FIFA World Cup. Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia was a body blow to China's hopes but Branko Ivankovic will rally his players to lift themselves and give Tuesday's tie their best shot.
