The AFC or Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of football sports in Asia. Officially formed in the Philippines on May 8, 1954, this association is one of the six continental confederations under the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Origin of AFC
During the second Asian Games, the AFC was organized in Manila. The founding members are South Vietnam, Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, Iran, India, Hong Kong, Israel, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Singapore, and South Korea. Currently, the headquarters of the organization is situated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain is the current president of AFC.
Members of the AFC
Most member countries of the AFC are located in Asia. The transcontinental countries, nations with territories in Europe and Asia, are excluded and members of the Union of European Football Associations or UEFA. These are Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Russia. Cyprus, Armenia, and Israel also belong to UEFA as they are geographically located along the outlying western region of Asia. Australia, which was formerly a member of Oceania Football Confederation or OFC, transferred to AFC in 2006.
The AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation is responsible for running the international association football tournament, which is the AFC Asian Cup. This competition is the second-oldest tournament. The AFC is divided into five regions. These regions are the West Asian Football Federation with 12 members, the Central Asian Football Association 6 members, the South Asian Football Federation 7 members, the ASEAN Football Federation 12 members, and the East Asian Football Federation 10 members.
The first AFC Asian Cup competition was held in Hong Kong. Seven of the twelve founding members took part in the competition. Teams that win in the competition were the champions of Asia. It was not until 2015 when the winning team from Asia is qualified to play for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
The AFC Asian Cup competition is held every four years. The first edition was in Hong Kong in 1956. Qatar is the current champion. The most successful team with the highest number of championships in Japan with four wins.