AFC U-23 CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 HOPEFULS LEARN THEIR OPPONENTS

uala Lumpur: Forty AFC U-23 Championship China 2018 hopefuls discovered their qualifying opponents during the stage's official draw at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday.

The ten group winners and five best second-placed teams among all the groups will advance to the finals. The qualifiers will take place from July 19 to 23, 2017 in the respective host countries which are Kyrgyz Republic, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Myanmar, DPR Korea, Thailand and China PR.

Although directly qualified as the finals host, China PR have expressed interest to participate in the qualifying stage. Therefore, if China PR finish top of their group or finish among the five best second-placed teams, the next (sixth) second-placed team will qualify to the final stage of the competition in January, 2018.

WEST Zone (West + South + Central)

Group A
A1. ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
A2. OMAN
A3. KYRGYZ REPUBLIC (host)
A4. SRI LANKA

Group B
B1. IRAQ
B2. SAUDI ARABIA (host)
B3. BAHRAIN
B4. AFGHANISTAN

Group C
C1. QATAR (host)
C2. SYRIA
C3. INDIA
C4. TURKMENISTAN

Group D
D1. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (host)
D2. UZBEKISTAN
D3. LEBANON
D4. NEPAL

Group E
E1. JORDAN
E2. TAJIKISTAN
E3. PALESTINE (host)
E4. BANGLADESH

EAST Zone (East + ASEAN)

Group F
F1. AUSTRALIA
F2. MYANMAR (host)
F3. SINGAPORE
F4. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Group G
G1. DPR KOREA (host)
G2. LAOS
G3. CHINESE TAIPEI
G4. HONG KONG

Group H
H1. THAILAND (host)
H2. INDONESIA
H3. MALAYSIA
H4. MONGOLIA

Group I
I1. KOREA REPUBLIC
I2. VIETNAM (host)
I3. TIMOR-LESTE
I4. MACAU

Group J
J1. JAPAN
J2. CHINA PR (host)
J3. CAMBODIA
J4. PHILIPPINES

DPR KOREA – MALAYSIA AFC ASIAN CUP QUALIFIER TO TAKE PLACE ON JUNE 8

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Wednesday at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur that the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Final Qualifying Round match between DPR Korea and Malaysia, originally scheduled for March 28, 2017 in Pyongyang, will now take place on June 8, 2017. 

Following the AFC Competitions Committee’s decision to postpone the match on March 10, the AFC has since written to DPR Korea Football Association on March 13 asking it to nominate a neutral venue by April 14, in the event the bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries have not returned to normal.

Should the match be played in a neutral venue, the match between Malaysia and DPR Korea scheduled for November 14, 2017 in Malaysia will also be played at a neutral venue to preserve sporting values and the spirit of fair play. 

AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John presented the AFC’s match competition principles and the decision-making process, which led to the postponement of the match. 

He said: “The match has now been confirmed to take place on June 8, 2017, taking into consideration that the first match must be played before the second match day on June 13, 2017 to fulfil the match sequence principle, and the available FIFA Match Days in the AFC Calendar of Competitions 2017.”

http://www.the-afc.com/media-releases/dpr-korea-%E2%80%93-malaysia-afc-asian-cup-qualifier-to-take-place-on-june-8

AFC POSTPONES DPR KOREA AND MALAYSIA MATCH

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Competitions Committee have on Friday decided to postpone the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Final Round Qualifier between DPR Korea and Malaysia.

The match was scheduled to be played in the DPR Korea capital Pyongyang on March 28, 2017 but the AFC Competitions Committee have taken the decision to postpone the tie after escalating diplomatic tension between the Governments of DPR Korea and Malaysia.

A new date for the game will be announced in due course.

AFC CUP 2017 - GROUP I: 4.25 SC 6-0 ERCHIM FC

Pyongyang: In the battle of the AFC Cup debutants visitors Erchim FC were hit for six as 4.25 SC striker Kim Yu-song netted five goals in a 6-0 rout at May Day Stadium on Tuesday.

Four of Kim’s goals came in the first half in a little over 30 minutes as the DPR Korea-side opened Group I in explosive fashion with the Mongolian Premier League champions struggling to cope in their 2017 AFC Cup opener.

Kim added his and 4.25’s fifth just before the hour mark, and then substitute Om Chol-song added the final goal of the night with 13 minutes remaining as the DPR Koreans enjoyed a fine start to life in the continental competition.

http://www.the-afc.com/afc-cup-2017/match-report/competition/821/season/2017/matchid/906696

DPR Korea in Cyprus Women's Cup