Asia’s World Cup falls apart with just two countries remaining

Asia's representation at the expanded 48-team World Cup has fallen short of expectations, with only Australia and Japan managing to reach the knockout stages. A record nine teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualified for the tournament in North America, but their collective performance in the group phase was largely disappointing. Out of 27 group games involving AFC teams, only three victories were secured.

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Where we need to improve is in Asian football (as a whole), not only Uzbekistan.

This contrasts starkly with the success of African football, where nine out of ten participating nations advanced to the last 32. Uzbekistan, making their World Cup debut, finished at the bottom of their group with zero points and a minus-nine goal difference, experiencing heavy defeats including a 5-0 loss to Portugal. "Where we need to improve is in Asian football (as a whole), not only Uzbekistan," said Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian World Cup winner and current Uzbek coach.

Several other AFC sides also exited at the first hurdle. Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the reigning Asian champions Qatar all finished last in their respective groups. Iran, whose campaign was overshadowed by political turmoil, and South Korea also failed to advance. "Other than Japan, Australia and maybe Iran… every (Asian) team needs to improve," Cannavaro added.

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Other than Japan, Australia and maybe Iran… every (Asian) team needs to improve.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the AFC, acknowledged the underperformance. "Having two representatives advance highlights the incredibly high level of global competition," he stated. "It shows that while our teams are making strides and displaying great fighting spirit, the gap at the absolute top tier remains tight, and we must continue to work hard to bridge it." At the 2022 World Cup, Australia, Japan, and South Korea reached the first knockout round, but all were eliminated. An Asian team has never won the World Cup, with South Korea's semi-final appearance in 2002 being their best result.

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Having two representatives advance highlights the incredibly high level of global competition. It shows that while our teams are making strides and displaying great fighting spirit, the gap at the absolute top tier remains tight, and we must continue to work hard to bridge it.