Continental Championships.

Asia (AFC)

The first match for the Asian Nations Cup was played on February 25, 1956 between the Philippines and South Korea; result: 0-2.
The first Champion of Asia was South Korea that on September 15, 1956 finished in first position in the final round group.
Till now ( August 2011) the Asian Championship has been organized 15 times.
The next final round will be played in 2015.
The acting Champion of Asia is: Japan.

Israel played until 1968 for the Championship of Asia and even became Champion in 1964; from 1996 onwards however Israel plays for the (UEFA) Championship of Europe.

Australia played until 2004 for the Championship of Oceania and became the Ocean Champion even four times; from 2006 onwards however Australia plays for the (AFC) Championship of Asia.

Three countries did win the Championship of Asia more than twice:

• Japan: 4 times
• Iran: 3 times
• Saudi Arabia: 3 times

Selection of Matches

For the computation of Rating Scores for the All-time Asian Ranking Table all matches for this continental championship are taken into account (final round matches as well as qualification matches).
Note that in cases where the matches for the AFC Challenge Cup can be considered as qualifying matches for the Asian Nations Cup, these matches were included as well.

Minimal number of matches for the computation of Rating Scores.

For the computation of reliable Rating Scores a specific minimum number of matches per country is requested.
For countries that played less than 10 matches for any All-time Ranking Table no Rating Score will be computed.
Results of those countries (number of matches, points etc.) will be presented at the bottom of the respective Ranking Table.
For more detailed information and explanation about the Ranking Tables please view: Ranking Tables Explained.

Presentation of former countries in the Ranking Tables.

The names of former countries like East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union etc. are skipped from the presentation in any Ranking Table as soon as 6 years are passed since they played their last game.
For a more detailed explanation and for a complete listing of former countries please view: Selection of Data.

The above presented information is partly retrieved from the website of the RSSSF: The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (Author: Karel Stokkermans).