FOOTBALL – FIFA first vice-president and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa chaired the seventh AFC Executive Committee meeting, held in Riyadh on the sidelines of the 2025 AFC Annual Awards ceremony.
Shaikh Salman underscored the AFC’s commitment to supporting national and regional football associations, highlighting the sport’s role in uniting and inspiring nations. He expressed appreciation to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation for hosting the meeting, noting Saudi’s growing prominence as a hub for Asian football.
Shaikh Salman congratulated Qatar and Saudi Arabia on qualifying for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and commended Al Hilal for reaching the Fifa Club World Cup quarter-finals. He also expressed solidarity with member associations facing challenges, reaffirming full support for the Palestinian Football Association amidst the recent developments in Gaza, and extending sympathy to the Nepalese and Philippine football federations.
The AFC Executive Committee approved the new “Equal Pitche” programme, endorsed Thailand as host of the next two AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cups, and welcomed new cooperation agreements with Uefa on coach development and knowledge exchange, valid until 2029.
It was also announced that the next AFC Annual Awards ceremony will be held in Thailand in 2026.
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