Preview - Group F: Tajikistan, Mongolia seek winning return as Asian Qualifiers resume
Dushanbe: Tajikistan will be aiming to keep their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification hopes alive when they resume their Asian Qualifiers campaign against Mongolia on Thursday.
The match, which is also part of the qualification process for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, sees the resumption of Group F after a 16-month hiatus, with up to 10,000 fans allowed to enter Dushanbe's Central Republican Stadium.
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Asian Qualifiers In Numbers
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 return on Thursday, with Tajikistan to host Mongolia in a Group F tie.
The COVID-19 pandemic meant only one match of the Asian Qualifiers was played in 2020, with Qatar defeating Bangladesh 5-0 in Group E in December.
That is set to change with Saudi Arabia to host Palestine and Mongolia to play Japan next week, followed by the completion of the second round of qualifying in June.
A lot of football, however, was played before the COVID-19 pandemic and the the-AFC.com takes a look at the facts and figures so far on the Road to Qatar 2022 and China PR 2023.
Return of Asian Qualifiers: All you need to know about Mongolia
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Qualifiers are back, with five national teams to resume their campaigns in the coming week for the first time since November 2019.
The roads to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 are open once again but, in the ever-changing world of international football, how clearly will we recognise the teams we haven't seen in competitive action for well over a year?
Join the-AFC.com as we check in with the Mongolian side who stunned the rest of the continent with a dream start to the Asian Qualifiers in 2019, but now face the daunting challenge of successive away fixtures against Tajikistan and Japan after over 400 days without a match.
Return of Asian Qualifiers: All you need to know about Tajikistan
Kuala Lumpur: After a long delay, Asian national teams are finally resuming their Asian Qualifiers campaigns, with five sides to pick up from where they left off back in November 2019 in the coming international window.
Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at each of the five returning sides, including their key changes and what to expect ahead of the Asian Qualifiers matches in the coming week.
Awer Mabil, Daichi Kamada, Musa Al Taamari and more: Vote for your AFC International Player of the Week!
Kuala Lumpur: Club football has stepped aside for the return of the international game, but several of Asia's players outside the continent made sure they went into the break in peak form with a series of strong performances over the past week.
Hwang Ui-jo continued his superb form in front of goal in France, Awer Mabil delivered a three-assist masterclass in Denmark, and a trio of Japanese midfielders – Daichi Kamada, Junya Ito and Yui Hasegawa – starred all over Europe.
Throw in AFC International Player of the week returns for Musa Al Taamari, Nikita Rukavytsya and Aias Aosman, and there are plenty of fine contenders to choose from, so study our nominees, based on Performances from March 17 to 23, and don't forget to cast your vote.
AFC Cup All-time XI: Wide midfielders
Kuala Lumpur: Thanks to the votes of many thousands of Asian football fans, six players have secured their places in our ultimate AFC Cup Dream Team, with two more to be added this week in the wide midfield positions.
The AFC Cup All-time XI is taking shape, with players from East to West earning the approval of football followers from across the continent, but who will be tasked with adding trickery, creativity and energy from wide positions?
We've picked out 12 superb options; some of them known for being prolific scorers, some for their work as providers, and others who are remembered for specific moments in the tournament – and It's up to you to choose your favourite.
With 122 goals, seven winners' medals and three MVP awards among the nominees, there is ample quality to choose from, so study our list of contenders and don't forget to register your vote.
Next week: Strikers
AFC Champions League: Best saves of 2020
Kuala Lumpur: Our tribute to the Best Goals of the 2020 AFC Champions League series has so far brought you some of the finest goals from the last edition, but this week we shine the spotlight on goalkeepers and showcase some of the best saves.
As the kick-off date for the historic 2021 edition approaches, the-AFC.com looks back at the 2020 tournament which turned out to be a thrilling affair despite the challenging circumstances.
We kicked off the series in style with fans voting Persepolis FC's Mehdi Abdi Qara as the winner of the Best Headers of 2020, Ramin Rezaeian of Al Duhail topped the Best Free-kicks, Al Nassr's Abdulrahman Al Obaid won the Best Long-Range Goals, Abderrazak Hamdallah's strike against Qatar's Al Saad on Matchday One was voted as the winner of the Best Team Goals while Persepolis' Qara topped the Best Last Minute Goals.
Our next instalment looks at some game-defining saves and invites you, the fan, to tell us which was your favourite.