Sport in Asia

Association Football (also known as Soccer) is the most popular sport in almost all Asian countries. Cricket is the second most popular sport in Asia. Other popular sports in Asia include baseball, basketball, badminton, kabaddi and table tennis among others.

The Asian Football Confederation was founded in 1954. They organize several tournaments for national teams, most notably the AFC Asian Cup since 1956 and AFC Women's Asian Cup since 1975, as well as qualifying tournaments for the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics. The AFC Champions League is Asia's premier tournament for clubs, first held in 1967.

The AFC members are split into five regional federations: West, Central, South, East and South East. These federations organize regional football championships.

The most successful Asian countries in international men's competitions have been Japan and South Korea in East, and Saudi Arabia and Iran in the West. In women's football, East Asian have been dominant, especially Japan, China and North Korea. Asia has been more successful in women's football than in men's football.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea. It was the first edition not held in Europe or the Americas. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar, but it was announced that it could be cancelled for bribery during the bidding process.

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