Sepp BLATTER's nightmares came true on FRI 23 JUN 2006, as the referees became the stars of the show. more...

Few teams saw their second round uncertainty resolved on SUN 18 JUN 2006. more...

There were two surprising comebacks in one match, a repeat of recent history, and a cracking goal on TUE 13 JUN 2006. more...

Otto PFISTER, appointed as coach of Togo four months ahead of the 2006 Men's World Cup, has resigned just days before his side start their Group G campaign against Korea Rep. The Hawks have been embroiled in a dispute with the Fédération Togolaise de Football over their bonuses, during which the players boycotted training sessions. Assistant Kodjovi MAWUENA has been promoted to fill the vacancy.

The final draw for the 2006 Men's World Cup paired up several well known opponents, starting in Group B, where for the second straight World Cup, England will face Sweden in the first round. In Group G, qualifying rivals France and Switzerland, who battled in UEFA Group 4, meet again. Brazil, Australia, and Japan, who regularly meet at Confederations Cup tournaments, are together again in Group F. But the consensus Group of Death is likely to be Group C, made up of Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, Serbia-Montenegro, and the Netherlands. The tournament's opening match will be Germany-Costa Rica, FRI 09 JUN 2006 in München. more...

All four automatic Men's World Cup berths were secured in the AFC third round on WED 08 JUN 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on FRI 03 JUN 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on WED 30 MAR 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on FRI 25 MAR 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC third round on WED 09 FEB 2005. more...

The eight surviving Asian teams were drawn into their AFC third round groups on THU 09 DEC 2004. Group 1 features Korea Rep, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan, whilst Group 2 will involve Bahrain, Iran, Japan, and Korea DPR. The matches will be contested between WED 09 FEB-WED 17 AUG 2005, with the top two in each group qualifying for Germany 2006. The third placed teams must then face one another for the right to contest the AFC/CONCACAF playoff.

Iran's Ali KARIMI was awarded the AFC's Player of the Year award on THU 09 DEC 2004, becoming the fourth Iranian to win the honour since its inauguration ten years ago. Karimi's accomplishments include a hat trick in a 4-3 win over Korea Rep in the Asian Cup quarterfinals and a league leading 14 goals for his club, Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates. A'ala HUBAIL of Bahrain and Shunsuke NAKAMURA of Japan were the other finalists. Awards also given include PARK Chu Young of Korea Rep as best youth player, Japan as the team of the year, and Iraq's Adnan HAMD as best coach.

The teams in the AFC third round are Bahrain, Iran, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Rep, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. They will be drawn into two groups of four on THU 09 DEC 2004. In the CONCACAF final round, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, and the United States will play in a single group. Both rounds begin on WED 09 FEB 2005.

A quick summary of action around the AFC second round on WED 17 NOV 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC second round on WED 13 OCT 2004. more...

The 2004 AFC Asian Cup final between China PR and Japan will cap off a wild tournament that has seen its share of lopsided scorelines as well as hotly contested matches. Surprising results in the group phase included Uzbekistan's finish as the only team to win all three matches, each by 1-0 margins. In the same group, Saudi Arabia flamed out with a single point, sacking coach Gerard VAN DER LEM immediately after the last match. In one quarterfinal, China PR dismissed Iraq 3-0; the next day Ali KARIMI scored a hat trick to lead Iran to a 4-3 win over Korea Rep. China PR won the semifinal between the teams on penalties after Yahya GOLMOHAMMADI's attempt was saved easily by Chinese keeper LIU Yunfei. The Bahrain-Japan semifinal was another thrilling encounter as Japan, down a goal and down a man at halftime, mounted a furious fightback to move in front. After falling behind again with five minutes left, Yuji NAKAZAWA equalised in the 90th minute with a diving header to force overtime. Keiji TAMADA scored three minutes into overtime, and although A'ala HUBAIL had a golden opportunity to tie it yet again, Japan were able to hold on for the memorable 4-3 win. The China PR-Japan final is in Beijing at 12:00 UTC on SAT 07 AUG 2004.