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Jeonbuk State, in collaboration with the Jeonbuk State Office of Education and Jeonbuk Physicl Education Middle & High School, is continuing international exchange and friendship through sports by delivering sports equipment donated by students to youth in three African nations. On the 5th, the State and the Office of Education held a send-off ceremony at Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School for the project titled “Re; Play Together, Jeonbuk Sports Friendship Gifts,” shipping the items to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Namibia. The theme, ‘Re; Play Together,’ signifies resuming games (Re; Play) that had been halted due to a shortage of soccer balls and sports gear, this time together with Jeonbuk.

This initiative goes beyond mere material support; it aims to practice solidarity and friendship across borders through sports and to expand the foundation for exchange among future generations. In particular, sharing equipment that students actually used spreads the value of sharing while extending Jeonbuk’s international sports diplomacy into schools and the local community. The project originated from visits last year by officials from Zimbabwe and Namibia, with whom Jeonbuk has maintained international sports exchanges. During their visit to Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School, they requested support for sports equipment. Students readily agreed to contribute, leading to a broader international exchange program supported by the State, the Office of Education, and the school. The donated items total 616 pieces across 12 sports, including soccer, taekwondo, shooting, archery, swimming, etc. —comprising both gear previously used by students and new items collected for this project. The equipment will be delivered to the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and National Olympic Committees of each country via Zimbabwean diplomatic missions and international shipping. It will then be distributed to young athletes and youth active in organizations such as the Kirsty Coventry Academy in Zimbabwe, the Waitaka Taekwondo Club in Kenya, and the MTC Hopsol Youth Soccer League in Namibia.

Kim Jong-phil, Director General of Jeonbuk State’s 2036 Summer Olympics Bid Department, stated: “I hope the precious sports items that nurtured the dreams of our Jeonbuk students will serve as a new source of hope for African youth. Moving forward, we will continue to promote international exchange through sports, guided by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) core values of inclusion and solidarity.” Im Young-gun, Director of Arts, Physical Ed & Health Division at the Jeonbuk State Office of Education, said, “It was a meaningful opportunity for our students to put into practice the spirit of sportsmanship through sharing and caring while developing a global perspective. We hope that the students’ small but heartfelt gesture will be warmly received by young people in Africa.”

Meanwhile, Jeonbuk State has been steadily expanding its international sports network by dispatching a Taekwondo demonstration team to the World Taekwondo U-21 Championship in Kenya, participating in the World Union of Olympic Cities General Assembly, and broadening sports exchanges with African nations. Starting with the “Sports Friendship Gift” pilot project, Jeonbuk State plans to consider expanding the countries and sports covered by the initiative, while also promoting the hosting of international sporting events and exchange programs inviting young athletes from overseas, with the goal of developing Jeonbuk into a specialized international sports city.

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Road to 2026 set for kick-off in Asia

The quest to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins for 20 Asian teams on Thursday, October 12, 2023 in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1.
Having been divided into 10 pairings at the official draw ceremony two months ago, these sides will play two-legged ties – one home and one away match, on October 12 and 17 respectively. The winners on aggregate of each pairing then proceed to Round 2, where they join the remaining 26 Member Associations to continue their campaign.
A quartet of teams will set their sights on advancing from the first round for the first time: Brunei Darussalam, Macau, Pakistan and Timor-Leste.
Asia will be the second Continent to get the qualification process underway after the CONMEBOL started last month; of the 48 berths on offer at the 23rd FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, eight and a half have been allocated for the AFC’s national teams.
This will mark the 11th instance of standalone World Cup qualifying with direct slots available for Asia’s teams since the AFC’s establishment in 1954 and is the third time that the first two rounds will also serve as part of the Qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup™. Four teams have been involved in all previous 10 qualifying rounds: Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Yemen.
The opening Round 1 fixture takes place at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, where Myanmar (FIFA rank: 160) start their fifth qualifying campaign at 4pm against Macau (182), participating for the 10th time; the hosts have come out on top in all four previous international encounters.
Chinese Taipei (156) begin their ninth appearance at 7pm at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung City, where they welcome a Timor-Leste (196) side taking part for the fifth time as both meet for the first time at the senior international level.
An all-ASEAN clash between Indonesia (149) and Brunei Darussalam (191) takes centre stage at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta at 7pm when they meet for the 12th time. The Garuda, who reached the third round in the 2010 Qualifiers, are at their 10th qualifying campaign while their opponents are involved in their fifth.
A duo who are very familiar with each other resume rivalries for a 17th occasion at 4pm at the National Stadium in Male, where the Maldives (154) mark their eighth qualifying appearance against a Bangladesh (192) side who came out on top in their South Asian Football Federation Championship match in June.
Nepal (174) embark on their ninth qualifying campaign at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu when they host Laos (188) at 5.30pm, with the away side making their sixth appearance and looking to avoid a fourth defeat in as many head-to-head meetings.
Guam (206) have good memories from their last visit to Singapore in March 2015, when they held the home side (158) to a 2-2 friendly draw in the sole encounter between the pair to date. The Lions, who reached the third round of Qualifiers in 2010 and 2014, will be keen to do better against the visitors – playing in their fourth Qualifiers – when the first whistle goes at 7.30pm at the National Stadium.
The National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh will provide the backdrop when Cambodia (176), appearing for the seventh time, face the challenge of Pakistan (195), who will notch their 10th involvement, at 7pm. The first ever international encounters between this pair took place at the same stage in the 2022 Qualifiers and saw Cambodia win both ties.
Similarly, the only two prior battles between Hong Kong, China (147) and Bhutan (185) occurred in the Qualifiers – during the second round of the 2018 edition. The third will kick off at 8pm at the Hong Kong Stadium, which coincides with the visitors’ third qualifying appearance.
The first leg between Afghanistan (155) and Mongolia (183) – participating in the Qualifiers for a sixth and seventh time respectively – will be played at a neutral venue: the Republican Central Stadium in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe. The Afghans emerged 1-0 winners in their sole previous encounter in March 2013; kick-off is scheduled for 7pm.
Yemen (157) and Sri Lanka (207) are the second pair of Round 1 sides who will play each other for the first time in their history when they come together at the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz SC Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia – a neutral venue – at 8pm to begin their 11th and eighth qualification campaign respectively.
Find the full match schedule here and follow the latest World Cup qualifying action on the-AFC.com!
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Road to 2026 set for kick-off in Asia

The quest to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins for 20 Asian teams on Thursday, October 12, 2023 in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1.
Having been divided into 10 pairings at the official draw ceremony two months ago, these sides will play two-legged ties – one home and one away match, on October 12 and 17 respectively. The winners on aggregate of each pairing then proceed to Round 2, where they join the remaining 26 Member Associations to continue their campaign.
A quartet of teams will set their sights on advancing from the first round for the first time: Brunei Darussalam, Macau, Pakistan and Timor-Leste.
Asia will be the second Continent to get the qualification process underway after the CONMEBOL started last month; of the 48 berths on offer at the 23rd FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, eight and a half have been allocated for the AFC’s national teams.
This will mark the 11th instance of standalone World Cup qualifying with direct slots available for Asia’s teams since the AFC’s establishment in 1954 and is the third time that the first two rounds will also serve as part of the Qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup™. Four teams have been involved in all previous 10 qualifying rounds: Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Yemen.
The opening Round 1 fixture takes place at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, where Myanmar (FIFA rank: 160) start their fifth qualifying campaign at 4pm against Macau (182), participating for the 10th time; the hosts have come out on top in all four previous international encounters.
Chinese Taipei (156) begin their ninth appearance at 7pm at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung City, where they welcome a Timor-Leste (196) side taking part for the fifth time as both meet for the first time at the senior international level.
An all-ASEAN clash between Indonesia (149) and Brunei Darussalam (191) takes centre stage at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta at 7pm when they meet for the 12th time. The Garuda, who reached the third round in the 2010 Qualifiers, are at their 10th qualifying campaign while their opponents are involved in their fifth.
A duo who are very familiar with each other resume rivalries for a 17th occasion at 4pm at the National Stadium in Male, where the Maldives (154) mark their eighth qualifying appearance against a Bangladesh (192) side who came out on top in their South Asian Football Federation Championship match in June.
Nepal (174) embark on their ninth qualifying campaign at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu when they host Laos (188) at 5.30pm, with the away side making their sixth appearance and looking to avoid a fourth defeat in as many head-to-head meetings.
Guam (206) have good memories from their last visit to Singapore in March 2015, when they held the home side (158) to a 2-2 friendly draw in the sole encounter between the pair to date. The Lions, who reached the third round of Qualifiers in 2010 and 2014, will be keen to do better against the visitors – playing in their fourth Qualifiers – when the first whistle goes at 7.30pm at the National Stadium.
The National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh will provide the backdrop when Cambodia (176), appearing for the seventh time, face the challenge of Pakistan (195), who will notch their 10th involvement, at 7pm. The first ever international encounters between this pair took place at the same stage in the 2022 Qualifiers and saw Cambodia win both ties.
Similarly, the only two prior battles between Hong Kong, China (147) and Bhutan (185) occurred in the Qualifiers – during the second round of the 2018 edition. The third will kick off at 8pm at the Hong Kong Stadium, which coincides with the visitors’ third qualifying appearance.
The first leg between Afghanistan (155) and Mongolia (183) – participating in the Qualifiers for a sixth and seventh time respectively – will be played at a neutral venue: the Republican Central Stadium in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe. The Afghans emerged 1-0 winners in their sole previous encounter in March 2013; kick-off is scheduled for 7pm.
Yemen (157) and Sri Lanka (207) are the second pair of Round 1 sides who will play each other for the first time in their history when they come together at the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz SC Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia – a neutral venue – at 8pm to begin their 11th and eighth qualification campaign respectively.
Find the full match schedule here and follow the latest World Cup qualifying action on the-AFC.com!
Publications
”More>>”
Videos
”More>>”

Jeonbuk State, in collaboration with the Jeonbuk State Office of Education and Jeonbuk Physicl Education Middle & High School, is continuing international exchange and friendship through sports by delivering sports equipment donated by students to youth in three African nations. On the 5th, the State and the Office of Education held a send-off ceremony at Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School for the project titled “Re; Play Together, Jeonbuk Sports Friendship Gifts,” shipping the items to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Namibia. The theme, ‘Re; Play Together,’ signifies resuming games (Re; Play) that had been halted due to a shortage of soccer balls and sports gear, this time together with Jeonbuk.

This initiative goes beyond mere material support; it aims to practice solidarity and friendship across borders through sports and to expand the foundation for exchange among future generations. In particular, sharing equipment that students actually used spreads the value of sharing while extending Jeonbuk’s international sports diplomacy into schools and the local community. The project originated from visits last year by officials from Zimbabwe and Namibia, with whom Jeonbuk has maintained international sports exchanges. During their visit to Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School, they requested support for sports equipment. Students readily agreed to contribute, leading to a broader international exchange program supported by the State, the Office of Education, and the school. The donated items total 616 pieces across 12 sports, including soccer, taekwondo, shooting, archery, swimming, etc. —comprising both gear previously used by students and new items collected for this project. The equipment will be delivered to the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and National Olympic Committees of each country via Zimbabwean diplomatic missions and international shipping. It will then be distributed to young athletes and youth active in organizations such as the Kirsty Coventry Academy in Zimbabwe, the Waitaka Taekwondo Club in Kenya, and the MTC Hopsol Youth Soccer League in Namibia.

Kim Jong-phil, Director General of Jeonbuk State’s 2036 Summer Olympics Bid Department, stated: “I hope the precious sports items that nurtured the dreams of our Jeonbuk students will serve as a new source of hope for African youth. Moving forward, we will continue to promote international exchange through sports, guided by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) core values of inclusion and solidarity.” Im Young-gun, Director of Arts, Physical Ed & Health Division at the Jeonbuk State Office of Education, said, “It was a meaningful opportunity for our students to put into practice the spirit of sportsmanship through sharing and caring while developing a global perspective. We hope that the students’ small but heartfelt gesture will be warmly received by young people in Africa.”

Meanwhile, Jeonbuk State has been steadily expanding its international sports network by dispatching a Taekwondo demonstration team to the World Taekwondo U-21 Championship in Kenya, participating in the World Union of Olympic Cities General Assembly, and broadening sports exchanges with African nations. Starting with the “Sports Friendship Gift” pilot project, Jeonbuk State plans to consider expanding the countries and sports covered by the initiative, while also promoting the hosting of international sporting events and exchange programs inviting young athletes from overseas, with the goal of developing Jeonbuk into a specialized international sports city.

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