Despite show in Russia, Asia have little to cheer

South Korea and Iran — have managed to qualify for the tournament on more than one occasion since 1990. These usual suspects have been dominating Asian football since the turn of the century and there is little evidence of any significant movement by other teams.

The Asian Cup is a case in point. Since Kuwait’s 1980 triumph, the competition has been dominated by Japan and Saudi Arabia. Iraq’s 2007 victory, arguably Asian football’s biggest underdog story, is largely seen as an anomaly. Australia, nine years into their inclusion in AFC, became the only team apart from these three to win the competition since 1980 when they triumphed at home in 2015.

During this World Cup, when Iran coach Carlos Queiroz was asked about Asian teams supposedly closing the gap on Europe, he said, “I have exactly the opposite opinion. Two years ago I said European football has taken off far away. Other continents are struggling. Only the nations that have the opportunity to bring players to Europe have a chance to be closer. For Asia the gap is higher, for Africa the gap is higher.”

It is difficult to argue with Queiroz’s assessment given the growing clout of the top European leagues over the world game.

But domestic football itself in Asia is a stronghold of only a few countries. The format of the AFC Cup has been changed in recent years to allow clubs from regions like South Asia go deeper into the competition but the Champions League continues to be dominated by clubs from the continental elites.

Since Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad became Asian champions in 2005, only on two occasions have clubs from outside of Japan, South Korea and China have won the title. South Korean and Japanese clubs, in particular, have dominated the tournament alongside a few from the gulf, with China entering the conversation since a significant surge in investment in the country’s top league in recent years.

It is a trend similar to that of Europe. However, unlike Europe, restrictions in international player movements across Asia mean that the cream of the continent continues to come only from the same nations.

Every four years, the final round of World Cup qualifying in Asia features almost identical line-ups. Barring Uzbekistan, and UAE and Iraq on occasions, no other Asian country has consistently been able to come close to challenging the status quo.

Despite a positive 2018 World Cup campaign, there is little to cheer about for most countries in Asia.