00:02the Asian football confederation covers a vast territory from the shores of the
00:11Mediterranean to the surf beaches of the Pacific Ocean the AFC crosses seven time zones it would
00:21take 24 hours to fly the 14,000 kilometers from one side of the AFC to the other which
00:28is exactly what Lebanon had to do during qualification for the 2026 World Cup when
00:34they were drawn in the same group as Australia the Confederation was founded in 1954 and is
00:44headquartered in Kuala Lumpur the dominant forces have been Japan and South Korea from the eastern
00:52region Iran from the Central Asian Football Association and Saudi Arabia from the Western
01:00Federation since 2006 Australia have added their name to this group after transferring from the
01:10Oceania Confederation two World Cups have been hosted in the AFC most recently in 2022 in Qatar and
01:23before that the pioneering World Cup of 2002 in Japan and South Korea the continental championship the AFC
01:34Asian Cup has been won by nine different countries with a further five reaching the final
01:43Qatar have become tournament specialists winning their maiden title in 2019 and defending it four
01:50years later in the past four Asian cups combined they've lost only one match
01:58Japan lead the way with four titles thanks largely to the extraordinary inability of South Korea to
02:05convert consistency into silverware the Taeguk Warriors have made the semi-finals on a record
02:1311 occasions but only lifted the trophy twice these were the first two Asian Cups in 1956 and 1960 when
02:23the
02:23finals consisted of just four teams South Korean club sides have fared better in the AFC Champions League
02:33winning a continent best 12 titles five Korean clubs have won multiple Champions Leagues with Pohang Steelers
02:42leading the way with three but the influx of investment into club football in the Arab world has seen the
02:50balance of power shift from east to west in recent years Saudi Arabia's al-Akli proved victorious in the
02:572025 Champions League final boasting a side featuring the likes of Edouard Mondi Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Fominio
03:09Japan China and South Korea all possess domestic competitions that average over 10,000 spectators per game
03:17but the hidden story in these statistics is the enormous untapped potential of the continent's sleeping giants
03:25India's Super League draws an average 11,000 fans per match and the biggest fixtures in Indonesia
03:31regularly attracts over 25,000 spectators the potential for growth in the game in these enormous
03:39populations is frightening Asia has enjoyed a higher status in women's football
03:51China hosted the first official World Cup in 1991 with two further additions staged in the region since
03:58including the enormously successful 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand
04:08as with the men's game Japan have led the way celebrating an historic World Cup victory in 2011
04:18while individuals from Australia especially star striker Sam Kerr have raised the profile for female footballers across the globe
04:27even sharing top billing with Kylian Mbappe on the ubiquitous FIFA video game
04:34Asian football still lags behind the powerhouse confederations of Europe and South America
04:40but the gap is closing as the football economies of the region grow
04:47nowhere on earth does the future of the game look so bright or so full of potential
04:55the AFC is home to a collection of improving football nations
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