Saudi sports ministry offers six pro clubs to domestic and foreign private investors
June 6 – Saudi Arabia has taken the next step in the privatisation of its Pro-League clubs with six clubs being made available to Saudi and foreign investors.
July 10 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has extended its partnership with Saudi-based Neom until 2029.
July 9 – A consortium led by Japan’s largest mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo is aiming to increase the permanent capacity at Tokyo’s National Stadium from 68,000 to 80,000 as the country reportedly eyes a shot at hosting the FIFA World Cup for a second time.
July 9 – World Cup legend Hong Myung-bo has returned to lead South Korea for a second time after the Korean Football Association (KFA) named him the country’s new manager.
Palestine apply to host World Cup 2026 qualifiers in West Bank
July 5 – After making it further than ever in World Cup qualifying, Palestine are now hoping to start hosting games on home soil.
Man City, PSG, West Ham and Leicester women’s teams head for Perth for pre-season
July 1 – Manchester City Women will travel down under this August to take part in the first Perth International Football Cup as part of the club’s preparations for the 2024/25 season – following a gutting end to 2023/24.
AFC 2026 draw groups Japan, Saudi and Australia in race for two automatic slots
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June 27 – Japan have been drawn with Saudi Arabia and Australia in what looks to be the toughest of the third round qualifying groups for the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Ooredoo dialled in for Qatar Stars League naming rights
June 27 – The Qatar Stars League (QSL) has announced Qatar government-backed telecommunications company Ooredoo as its new title sponsor.
Molten gets the ball rolling for 2026 Asian qualifiers
June 25 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has unveiled the Official Match Ball for the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26, taking place from September 2, 2024 to November 18, 2025.
AFC allocates pots for final round of 2026 World Cup qualifying draw
June 21 – The AFC has released the seeding pots for the final round of its 2026 World Cup qualifiers that will kick off in September 2024, completing in June 2025.
AFC confirms clubs and schedule for its new two-tier Champions League
June 19 – The clubs for Asia’s new two-tier Champions League – AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League Two – have been confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the 2024/25 season.
India sack Stimac after failure to reach third round of 2026 qualifying
June 17 – India have dismissed their Croatian manager Igor Stimac after the Blue Tigers failed to reach the third round of World Cup qualifying.
AFC unveils 22 clubs for inaugural Women’s Champions League
June 14 – The inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League will kick off this August with 22 clubs from 22 member associations making up the opening cohort of pioneering women’s teams.
India demand review of controversial Qatari goal that ended their 2026 WC campaign
June 13 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has demanded FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) investigate Qatar’s controversial goal in recent World Cup qualifiers that ended India’s hopes of reaching the third round of the campaign.
AFC secures major Indian streaming deal with FanCode
June 13 – India may have crashed out of AFC World Cup qualifying for 2026, but the second largest country in the world has a growing appetite for football and the confederation is keen to harness its vast population in the regional game.
