Football Australia considering last minute 2023 AFC Asian Cup bid

Willem van Denderen24/06/2022 6:05 am23/06/2022

Football Australia have confirmed they are considering a late bid to host the AFC Asian Cup from June to July next year, which would provide an extraordinary opening act to a packed winter of football that already features the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The Asian Cup is scheduled to start on June 16, 2023, with the final to be played a month later. Just four days beyond that, New Zealand’s Football Ferns and the Matildas will kick off their group stage matches at Eden Park and the Sydney Football Stadium respectively.

Football Australia has until June 30 to submit a bid to the AFC for the continental tournament, which requires relocation after China’s withdrawal last month citing their zero-covid policy and ongoing issues relating to the pandemic.

South Korea appears the most likely candidate to host what would be their first Asian Cup since 1960, after their FA formally announced last week that they would meet the AFC’s submission deadline. Last month, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol mandated his sports minister to bid for the event after dining with the playing squad.

But they may now meet competition from Australia, who famously lifted the title as hosts in 2015 before a crowd of over 76,000 at Sydney’s Olympic Park. Coincidentally it was South Korea they defeated in the final, having reversed the result from their group stage meeting.

“We are making enquiries and having parallel discussions with the Asian Football Confederation and Governments to determine the possibilities for Australia to host this tournament,” an FA Spokesperson said.

The 32-match tournament hosted by Australia drew an average of over 20,000 fans, boosted by the Socceroos drawing an average of 44,500 across their six games. Matches were hosted in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.

That edition of the tournament featured sixteen teams; the 2023 edition will be the second under the AFC’s expanded format, meaning any successful Australian bid would need to house 24 nations across 51 games.

Qualification for the tournament was completed last month, with Tajikistan to feature for the first time. Hong Kong have qualified for the first time since 1968, and 2007 hosts Malaysia have qualified on merit for the first time since 1980.

Previous ArticleFootball West begins Belt Up ball distribution initiativeNext ArticleBureau of FIFA Council approves World Cup squad increase to 26 players ahead of Qatar 2022

Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.