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Coach Education
With the recent conclusion of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on the horizon, the virtual event served as an ideal platform for national team coaches and technical experts from across Asia to review the global showpiece and its lessons for the future.
Following AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh’s opening remarks, the session shone the spotlight on the nine Asian teams who participated in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, examining in detail the positive takeaways as well as the challenges faced by the respective sides.
The segment also included insights from Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu, who shared his thoughts on his side’s performance as well as the need for Asian sides to continue raising their standards to challenge the European and South American heavyweights.
“I think at the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Japanese team proved to the world that Asian teams can compete for the World Cup,” said Moriyasu, who led the Samurai Blue to a Round of 32 finish before being eliminated by five-time champions Brazil.
“If Asia wants to win the title one day, we need to recognise the changes in the modern game and must improve our physical abilities accordingly, which can only come with increasing intensity and quality of Asian competitions."
The technical review also offered an in-depth look at the goals scored during the tournament, exploring the significance of the various ways in which teams found the back of the net, including crosses, counter-attacking situations and set pieces, as well as the rapidly changing role of the goalkeeper.
This also provided an opportunity for the experts to acknowledge the efforts of one of Asia’s two debutants, Jordan, who succeeded in getting on the scoresheet in every game, before the floor was taken by FIFA Football Performance Analyst Arron Ackerman for a deep dive into the key technical findings from FIFA’s analysis of the tournament.
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Providing a contrast to the Asian perspective, the programme also examined the structural factors behind Europe’s sustained success, including a high standard of year-round competition, alongside systematic development of its grassroots football and coach education landscapes.
Before concluding, the experts also briefly discussed some of the key innovations introduced at the competition, including measures aimed at tackling time-wasting and safeguarding the flow and integrity of the game.
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