AFC
All eyes will be on Manama, Bahrain, for the 33rd Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress tomorrow where the AFC Executive Committee for the term 2023 to 2027 as well as the Continent’s representatives to the FIFA Council will be confirmed.
Set against the backdrop of the immaculate Gulf Convention Centre in Manama, the Congress will see incumbent President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa run unopposed for the AFC Presidency.
As the AFC’s highest decision-making body, the Congress will elect members of the key AFC Executive Committee and FIFA Council positions. Following the withdrawal of some candidates from the elections, the final list of candidates can be accessed here.
At the same time, the AFC Congress is also expected to deliberate on the host of the AFC Asian Cup 2027™, where the focus will be on the Saudi Arabian Football Federation who remain the sole bidder for the hosting rights of the 19th edition of Asia’s crown jewel.
Representatives from the AFC’s Member and Regional Associations will be gathering physically for the first time since the AFC Extraordinary Congress in Paris in June 2019 along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino who is expected to address the Congress alongside the AFC President.
In addition to the key decisions, those in attendance and members of the media will also hear from the AFC President on the undeniable progress of Asian football, most notably the inspiring performances of the Continent’s teams at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 where a record three Asian sides qualified to the Round of 16 for the first time.
Similarly, the length and breadth of the AFC’s programmes and initiatives to uplift the standards of the Asian game will be outlined during the AFC President’s address to the Congress.