 | This article needs to be updated.(December 2010) |
This is a list of top-division association football clubs in Asian Football Confederation countries. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) includes all Asian countries except Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan and Turkey as members, but also includes the Oceanian countries of Australia, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands (the association of the Northern Mariana Islands is a provisional associate member of AFC but not a member of FIFA).
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football in Asia and Australia. It has 47 member countries, mostly located on the Asian and Australian continent, but excludes the transcontinental countries with territory in both Europe and Asia – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey – which are instead members of UEFA. Three other states located geographically along the western fringe of Asia – Cyprus, Armenia and Israel – are also UEFA members. On the other hand, Australia, formerly in the OFC, joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, and the Oceanian island of Guam, a territory of the United States, is also a member of AFC, in addition to Northern Mariana Islands, one of the Two Commonwealths of the United States. Hong Kong and Macau, although not independent countries, are also members of the AFC.
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located in Western Asia on the Armenian Highlands, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, and has an 11 km long border with Turkey in the northwest.
Contents
- Afghanistan
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- People's Republic of China
- Republic of China ( Chinese Taipei)
- East Timor (Timor-Leste)
- Guam
- Hong Kong
- India
- I-League
- Indian Super League
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Japan
- Jordan
- Korea DPR
- Korea Republic
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- See also
- References
The football associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan and Turkey are members of UEFA, the European football confederation (Israel and Kazakhstan were previously AFC members but had left). Hong Kong and Macau, the special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, have their own football associations which are members of AFC. The Republic of China (called Chinese Taipei in the international sports community) and Palestine, both members of the IOC but not the UN, also have their own football associations which are members of AFC.
The Union of European Football Associations is the administrative body for association football, futsal and beach soccer in Europe, although several member states are primarily or entirely located in Asia. It is one of six continental confederations of world football's governing body FIFA. UEFA consists of 55 national association members.
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and commonly abbreviated as HK, is a special administrative region on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China. With over 7.4 million people of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre (426 sq mi) territory, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated region.
Macau or Macao, officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a special administrative region on the western side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China. With a population of 653,100 in an area of 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.
Each of the AFC member countries have their own football league systems. The clubs playing in each top-level league compete for the title as the country's club champions, and also for places in next season's AFC club competitions, i.e., the AFC Champions League, the AFC Cup, and the AFC President's Cup. Due to promotion and relegation, the clubs playing in the top-level league are different every season; however, some league systems (such as Australia) do not have promotion and relegation.
A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport. They are often called pyramids, due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions further down the system. League systems of some sort are used in many sports in many countries.
The AFC Champions League, commonly known as the Asian Champions League, is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Introduced in 2002, the competition is a continuation of the Asian Club Championship which had started in 1967. It is the premier club tournament in Asia, equivalent to the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, and the UEFA, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC Champions League competitions.
The AFC Cup is an annual International association football competition between domestic clubs run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Qualification to the competition is available to clubs from AFC-affiliated countries that fall into the AFC's 'developing nations' category as laid out in their 'Vision Asia' document. Countries which are 'emerging' nations are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup, whereas countries which have better infrastructure and football prowess are entered into the AFC Champions League.
The champions of the previous season in each country are listed in bold.
Please note: Some clubs play in a national football league other than their own country's. Where this is the case the club is noted as such. In particular, the Australian A-League includes a team from New Zealand, whose national federation is a member of the Oceania Football Confederation.
The A-League is a professional men's soccer league run by Football Federation Australia (FFA). At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's primary competition for the sport. The A-League was established in 2004 as a successor to the National Soccer League (NSL) and competition commenced in August 2005. The league is currently contested by ten teams; nine based in Australia and one based in New Zealand. It is known as the Hyundai A-League (HAL) through a sponsorship arrangement with the Hyundai Motor Company.
New Zealand Football is the governing body for the sport of association football in New Zealand. It oversees the seven New Zealand Football federations, as well as the New Zealand national football team, the national junior and women's teams, the men's and women's national Leagues ISPS Handa Premiership, National Women's League, and a number of tournaments, including the Chatham Cup and Women's Knockout Cup. A New Zealand team, Wellington Phoenix FC who plays in the Australian A-League also comes under New Zealand Football jurisdiction.
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, and other Pacific Island countries. It promotes the game in Oceania and allows the member nations to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
- For clubs playing at lower divisions, see the separate articles linked to in the relevant sections.
- For clubs belonging to any of the other five continental football confederations of the world, see List of association football clubs.
| Club name | Club finished the previous season as league champions. |
