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Since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, the urgency to fix the way Manchester United functions as a club has been clear to see.

Omar Berrada has joined as the new chief executive, and plenty of other new faces are set to arrive at Old Trafford before the end of the season.

One of those being eyed up is Dan Ashworth, who is reportedly keen to join the Red Devils as their sporting director.

Therefore, let's take a look at what Ashworth's dream Man United starting XI could look like if he were to join the club, having pulled the strings in the transfer department at both Brighton and Hove Albion and current club, Newcastle United.

1

GK – Andre Onana

The Cameroon star only joined the Red Devils in the summer, and he is set to become the long-term keeper.

Andre Onana has kept seven clean sheets already this season in the Premier League, while preventing an impressive 3.47 goals.

2

RB – Diogo Dalot

Diogo Dalot has been the first choice right back this season, starting 21 matches in the league.

The Portuguese defender set up Scott McTominay's winner in the week with a wonderful cross.

3

CB – Jean-Clair Todibo

Jean-Clair Todibo is the first new face in the side, and with Ratcliffe's connection with Nice, a move this summer could occur.

Erik ten Hag's side had been linked with the French defender all last month, with the right centre-back role a priority position.

The 24-year-old has been a rock at the heart of the Nice defence this season, helping his team pick up ten clean sheets in just 17 starts.

4

CB – Lisandro Martinez

The Argentine has had a horrific ten months with injuries, making him miss 34 games.

The World Cup winner also picked up another injury recently against West Ham United, which is set to keep him out for over a month. Nonetheless, the number six would definitely feature in Ashworth's dream XI.

5

LB – Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw is another player who has suffered injuries this season, but when he's fit, the left-back role is his.

This season, the England international has registered 1.2 key passes per game, while making 5.1 ball recoveries.

6

DM – Kobbie Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo has developed into one of United's most important players, despite being just 18 years old, with his January Player of the Month award serving as evidence of that.

Furthermore, the academy graduate has also added goals to his game as of late, scoring a spectacular winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers and netting against Newport County in the FA Cup.

He's started all of the last ten matches, and he is a player that Ashworth would want to build his team around.

7

DM – Amadou Onana

Amadou Onana is another player who fits the bill as a perfect United summer signing, with the 22-year-old having bags of potential.

The Red Devils were reportedly interested in the Everton midfielder towards the end of last year, and they could reignite their pursuit of him at the end of the season.

The Belgian ace has played 18 games in the league this season, boasting an average tackles and balls recovered per game of 2.5 and 6.2, respectively.

8

RW – Alejandro Garnacho

The right-wing spot has been arguably the most talked-about position in the United team due to the underwhelming performances of Antony, who has failed to score or assist in the league all season.

Luckily, Alejandro Garnacho has thrived on the right since scoring a brace against Aston Villa from that wing on Boxing Day.

The Argentine is another player that United must build their team around, with the 19-year-old scoring five goals and providing two assists in 16 league starts.

9

AM – Bruno Fernandes

Man United's Portuguese magnifico is guaranteed to start in his usual attacking midfield role.

Since moving to the club in 2020, the current United captain has contributed to 132 goals, while also missing just one game, which was through illness.

Last season, he created the most chances in the Premier League, 70, and he will continue to produce magic in the Red Devils starting XI for years to come.

10

LW – Kaoru Mitoma

Ashworth mainly made a name for himself at Brighton, where he has an incredible track record of signing incredible talents for bargain deals.

Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo, and, of course, Kaoru Mitoma are the main standouts, and he could look to reunite with the Japanese gem that he once helped sign for less than £3m in 2021.

Today, he has gone on to become one of the most sought-after wingers in England, with his estimated value said to be worth £68m, as per CIES Football Observatory.

United are one of a handful of teams that are believed to be interested in signing Mitoma, and with the potential arrival of Ashworth, they could have the upper hand.

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The 26-year-old would bring direct dribbling to Ten Hag's team, and according to former Chelsea player Tony Cascarino, Mitoma's style is just "like watching Ryan Giggs at his very best."

The Seagulls star would replace Marcus Rashford in the starting XI, who isn't having the best of campaigns this term, with just five goals across all competitions.

That, along with his off-the-field activities, led to reports that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in signing the Englishman as their Kylian Mbappe replacement in the summer, if their star was to move to Real Madrid.

Although it is highly unlikely that the number ten does leave, his potential exit would pave the way for Mitoma to become United's left winger next season.

Domingo will join fellow South Africans Neil McKenzie, Charl Langeveldt and Ryan Cook, who are already part of the coaching support staff

Mohammad Isam17-Aug-2019Bangladesh will have a strong South African presence in their backroom after Russell Domingo was named head coach for a two-year period on Friday. The 44-year-old pipped Mike Hesson and Mickey Arthur in the race to succeed Steve Rhodes, who had taken charge last year and parted ways with the BCB after the team finished eighth at the 2019 World Cup.BCB president Nazmul Hassan said Domingo’s long-term planning and full-time availability played a big part in their decision. Domingo had been the only candidate to have traveled to Dhaka for his interview, impressing Hassan and some of the directors last week.”Domingo wants to integrate the national team with the A team, High Performance team and Under-19s, so that our strong pipeline becomes useful,” Hassan said. “He has showed his commitment. He said that he will be here all the time, and we have been looking for someone just like him. A coach who can be with the player all the time.”The board president further added that Domingo understood the senior team’s requirement of winning more in foreign conditions.”He said that Bangladesh are unstoppable at home but they also have a hard time when they play in places like South Africa, England and Australia. This is the reality, and it was good to find out that he exactly knew what is required here.”.The BCB have already renewed the contracts of batting coach Neil McKenzie and bowling coach Charl Langeveldt, both of whom were part of the support staff under interim coach Khaled Mahmud for the ODI series in Sri Lanka last month.Both McKenzie and Langeveldt were part of South Africa’s support staff during Domingo’s tenure as head coach of South Africa from 2013 to 2017. Along with fielding coach Ryan Cook, Domingo will be the fourth South African in Bangladesh’s coaching set up. Domingo will take over formally on August 21, ahead of Bangladesh’s one-off Test against Afghanistan in Chattogram.”It is a massive honour to be appointed the head coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team,”Domingo said in a statement. “I have followed Bangladesh’s progress with keen interest and I am extremely excited to assist the team in reaching the goals that they are capable of. I look forward to continuing the ongoing development of current players whilst also looking towards the future and developing some new bright stars from within the talent pool of Bangladesh cricket.”

The former New Zealand captain was proud of the way Kane Williamson’s men handled the Lord’s heartbreak

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2019

Kane Williamson greets former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum after the final•Getty Images

Brendon McCullum knows what it is to lose a World Cup final. In 2015, under McCullum’s captaincy, New Zealand enjoyed a bumper run to the final, only to lose to Australia by seven wickets at the MCG. Four years later, New Zealand reached another World Cup final, this time at Lord’s, and tied the game. The manic Super Over, the first in World Cups, ended in a tie as well, and England eventually won the title on boundary count.McCullum’s side had turned a rugby-mad country into a cricket-loving nation in 2015. Williamson’s men have created similar impact now, and McCullum believes they will move on from the Lord’s heartbreak.”That’s the thing and it’s going to be so difficult for those guys,” McCullum told . “I was lucky enough to have a beer with them in the changing room and they were pretty broken, that’s for sure.”They were also really proud of what they did and how well they played. Over the coming months and years, whilst it’s still raw now, they’ll understand just how magnificent that spectacle was. And for it to happen on the biggest of stages, to have played the hand that they played in that match is absolutely amazing.”McCullum looked back on the MCG final in 2015 and called it “a missed opportunity”, but said he was pleased with the way how the team dealt with the result then and even now.”Yes, it would’ve been lovely to have been a World Cup champion, but I’ve always said the game doesn’t define you but it’s the person and character you are,” McCullum said. “I was so pleased with how our team handled that loss, also the success throughout that tournament. It’s a bit different [but] I thought they’ve handled themselves magnificently in the aftermath of that result [at Lord’s].”A bizarre play in the last over of England’s chase turned the final decisively. When Ben Stokes dived at the striker’s end to complete a second run, he inadvertently deflected a throw from outfielder Martin Guptill to the third-man boundary. England were awarded six runs, and there were questions raised on the call made by the umpires at the time. McCullum, though, chose not to dwell on that play which had worked against New Zealand.”I guess if you look at the rules, it may not have been the right call but it’s just luck, that’s how it works,” he said. “There’s nothing to say that if Ben Stokes was facing the last ball and he needed four off that rather than two, he wouldn’t have struck that low full-toss out of the ground.”I just don’t think you can focus on those things. It’s bitterly disappointing they didn’t work out for us but we had our elements of luck throughout that World Cup too, which gave us a chance. Unfortunately on the day it didn’t fall our way. I certainly don’t blame anyone.”

The level of spending has never been higher in the Premier League than it is now. New and improved commercial deals have meant the funds available to top-flight clubs are allowing clubs to really push the limit.

Some clubs are struggling to work within the regulations of Financial Fair Play, with the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest the latest to be propelled into the spotlight by the governing bodies.

But last summer alone, Premier League clubs spent a staggering £2.36bn across the board, dwarfing the summer of 2022 spending which still came in at £1.92bn.

Amid the winter market, Football FanCast has taken a look at just how much each of the current Premier League sides have spent in the Premier League era.

20 Luton Town £31m

Premier League new boys Luton Town will have their first taste of top-flight revenue coming into the club following their play-off win last season, but their overall spend since the Premier League’s conception in 1992 comes in at a mere £31m.

In comparison to some of the more established Premier League sides, this seems a minute figure, with only four other former Premier League clubs spending less in the same period.

Although this figure may seem crazy to some, it has to be remembered that just ten years ago, the Hatters were playing in the Conference before making an astonishing climb up the English pyramid to earn a spot in the Premier League.

Luton spent £19.5m of that £31m overall in the summer following their promotion, and if they can stay afloat, perhaps they will be able to consider spending more significantly in the coming summer transfer window.

19 Brentford £209m

Brentford now have a few seasons of Premier League football under their belt, although they are not finding it so straightforward this season.

The difference between Luton and Brentford’s spending, however, is staggering. The Bees’ spending has risen year-on-year since their promotion to the top flight, with last summer their biggest ever spend at a total of around £60m being spent on players.

Similarly to Luton, Brentford have enjoyed a stunning rise through the leagues over the last decade to earn themselves a spot in the Premier League. Big funds in the future could be generated through the potential sale of Ivan Toney, which could leave further room for the Bees to spend on new players.

18 Sheffield United £250m

Returning to the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign for the fourth time since its conception, the Blades have managed to still spend a decent amount of money considering their journey between the leagues over the last decade.

During their spells in the Premier League, Sheffield United have not been fearful of splashing the cash, with the 2019/20 campaign seeing the Blades spend £61.7m alone.

Their club record signing, Rhian Brewster, almost matches Luton’s overall spend, with the former Liverpool striker costing the Blades around £24m.

17 Burnley £365m

Much like the Blades, Burnley have spent a number of seasons over the last 15 years bouncing between the Premier League and the Championship.

But there is a huge difference in their transfer spending since the 1992/93 campaign, with the Clarets spending a further £115m on the South Yorkshire side.

And the recent summer window saw Vincent Kompany handed a lot of reinforcements, with the Lancashire side spending around £95m across their ten new signings.

16 Nottingham Forest £428m

Having returned to the Premier League in 2022, Nottingham Forest have certainly not held back in their spending across the three full transfer windows they have experienced as a top flight side.

Indeed, since their promotion in 2022, Forest have spent around £272m under Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis. They even broke the record for the most arrivals in a summer window with their 21 signings in 2022.

However, it seems they may have landed themselves in a spot of bother as they have since been charged with breaking the profit and sustainability regulations; they have now been referred to an independent commission.

Nottingham Forest: Every signing since promotion to the Premier League

Nottingham Forest have splashed the cash since returning to the top flight – FFC has detailed every signing they’ve made.

ByMark Marston Feb 2, 2024 15 Bournemouth £440m

Bournemouth are another club who have been between leagues over the last decade, however, they have been able to spend seven of the last nine campaigns in the Premier League.

And that has allowed them to splash the cash – relatively speaking. The most recent summer transfer window was the Cherries’ biggest spend yet with nearly £110m spent.

Results have now begun to flow under Andoni Iraola and Bournemouth look in a strong position to maintain their spot in the top flight for another campaign, so expect this figure to rise.

14 Brighton & Hove Albion £463m

The impressive stories continue with Brighton & Hove Albion, whose rise to Premier League prominence has been nothing short of incredible.

Roberto De Zerbi has led the Seagulls to European football, and it has to be said that they have become the powerhouses they are now through smart recruitment.

Unlike some of the sides who proceed them on this list, the Seagulls have not had a season where they have spent more than £85m – which came in the latest summer window.

13 Crystal Palace £467m

Narrowly pipping their A23 rivals, Crystal Palace have now spent the last 11 seasons in the Premier League, which has allowed them to spend as an established top-flight side.

However, this has not necessarily been the case over recent years, with a total spend of just £35m spent between 2018 and 2021.

Perhaps the Eagles can be praised for that, with a number of clubs in and around them in the league now being hit with violations of the financial regulations and they have been able to maintain their Premier League status despite their spending not being excessive in recent seasons.

12 Fulham £612m

Fulham may have not been as consistent a Premier League side over the last decade as the likes of Crystal Palace. However, they have spent significantly more than their London rivals, having first made the Premier League in 2001.

With Shahid Khan as their owner, the Cottagers certainly have the financial backing to compete with most of the other teams in the Premier League.

Despite this, they will naturally fall short in terms of their revenue stream not being able to match the bigger sides who, therefore, have an advantage with the Financial Fair Play regulations.

11 Wolverhampton Wanderers £732m

Although Wolves fell down the leagues to hit League One in 2013, they have been a Premier League side since their promotion in 2018.

And they have definitely spent like an established Premier League side in recent windows, with the arrivals of the likes of Matheus Cunha and Matheus Nunes both in excess of £38m.

Under Gary O’Neil, Wolves are showing no signs of being anything other than being a top-flight side, which should suggest the spending will not come to an end any time soon.

West Ham are primed to make an imminent move for one club's "brilliant" forward as David Moyes wrestles with a shortage of attacking options.

West Ham lacking forward depth

Moyes is currently facing the prospect of a real forward shortage at West Ham, as concerns surround star winger Jarrod Bowen following an injury he sustained in their 1-1 FA Cup draw with Bristol City on Sunday.

ExWHUemployee says West Ham could move for "scintillating" 10-goal forward

He’s been in fine form this season.

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Summer signing Mohammed Kudus is representing Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations right now as well, and it is believed striker Michail Antonio has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

If Bowen's injury is a serious one, it would deal a hammer blow to Moyes who would have just the out-of-favour Danny Ings and youngster Divin Mubama to choose from as number nine alternatives.

West Ham fear Antonio could be out for six weeks and they may well be forced to dip into the market for short-term striker options (The Guardian), with Moyes also chasing the signing of a winger. The likes of Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Maxwel Cornet have failed to impress overall when called upon, with the need for more attacking options looking a serious one at West Ham.

According to club insider ExWHUemployee, West Ham have their eyes on the likes of Norwich City Jonathan Rowe among a plethora of other potential targets, while Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that they're real admirers of Ajax captain Steven Bergwijn.

Now, as per transfer reporter Dean Jones for Sportslens, another interesting name to have emerged is Leeds forward Wilfried Gnonto.

West Ham "primed" to make Gnonto move

The journalist now claims West Ham are "primed" to make an approach for Gnonto "in the coming days" as Moyes seeks attacking reinforcements.

The Italy international, who starred for Leeds at points in the Premier League last season, has been used more irregularly under Daniel Farke this term but both the Hammers and Fulham could offer him a way out.

West Ham considered him in the summer window, but Gnonto wasn't allowed to depart as Leeds didn't want to cash-in on their star asset.

That could change this window, as it is reported elsewhere that the Whites will sell for Gnonto for around £13 million (Il Romanista.it).

Despite his lack of starting opportunities this season, Leeds boss Farke praised the 20-year-old for his unwavering attitude.

"What I like a lot about Willy at the moment is his attitude," said Farke earlier this month.

"He was always used to shine, always the posterboy. It’s not easy when he’s on the bench, but when we score and do positive stuff, the first one celebrating on the pitch is Willy."

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones also expressed his shock that Gnonto isn't starting as many games this season.

"I'm really surprised a player that is this good is not in the starting lineup at a Championship club," he said.

"Especially when he was given a second chance at Leeds to make things work and was forgiven for that little moment he had in the summer. He is a brilliant player."

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We are now just over a week away from the 2024 Asian Cup; well, technically speaking, it's the 2023 edition of the competition, but it is being played in 2024 to accommodate Qatar's intense summer heat and involvement in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Whether it's in the correct year or not, this edition promises to be the best yet, with several different teams vying to take the crown atop Qatar's head.

Will Japan get their revenge, can Son Heung-min lead South Korea to glory, or will one of the Middle Eastern states win it close to home?

With that in mind, Football FanCast has collected everything you could want to know ahead of the tournament and put it into one handy place, so you'll be ahead of the game when it all kicks off in January.

Asian Cup 2023 opening ceremony

As we said, the first game of the 2023 edition of the Asian Cup will be taking place in January 2024, on 12th January, to be exact.

The tournament's opener will feature the hosts, Qatar, taking on Lebanon, who hosted the tournament back in 2000 and will be making only their third appearance in the finals.

Considering Qatar's appearance at the World Cup and their tournament success in 2019, the hosts will be the firm favourites for this one.

Asian Cup 2023 final

The tournament's showpiece event – the target the players will be training hard to reach and the reason so many fans dream, is the final.

The final of the 2023 Asian Cup takes place on 10th February 2024, so almost a month after it all kicks off.

The game will be held in Qatar's Lusail Stadium, which was the venue that hosted the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.

If the game is anything like that one, the fans will be in for a real treat.

Asian Cup 2023 hosts

The host for the latest installment of the Asian Cup is the last edition's winner, Qatar. Simple enough, right? Well, no, not really.

The original host nation, announced back in June 2019, was China. The Chinese were supposed to host the tournament in the summer of 2023.

However, following the outbreak of the pandemic and the government's extremely strict policy, the AFC announced that China would no longer host the competition.

A new round of bidding was opened, which saw Australia, South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar all throw their hats in the ring. However, the Australians and Indonesians soon withdrew their submissions, and with just two nations left, the AFC awarded the competition to Qatar.

However, with the Middle Eastern state enduring sweltering summers, the competition was subsequently moved to January, which also made space for them to enter the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The qualified teams for the Asian Cup 2023

Qualified teams

Qatar

Iraq

Bahrain

India

Japan

United Arab Emirates

Syria

Tajikistan

Iran

Oman

Palestine

Thailand

South Korea

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Malaysia

Australia

China

Kyrgyzstan

Hong Kong

Saudi Arabia

Jordan

Lebanon

Indonesia

The Asian Cup will see 24 teams take part – 23 of whom had to go through qualifying to get there, while the hosts were given an automatic berth.

Interestingly, while Qatar are set to host the 2023 edition of the tournament, they weren't announced as such until summer 2022, a full year after they had qualified through the same method as everyone else.

China, who were the original hosts, also gained their place through the qualifiers as they were no longer granted automatic passage to the finals.

However, the first team to officially qualify for the finals was Japan, who did so in May 2021 – dead simple, right?

The final team to secure their place in Qatar was Indonesia, who did so in June 2022.

The top scorer in Asian Cup 2023 qualifying

Player Name

Country

Goals

Ali Mabkhout

United Arab Emirates

11

Eldor Shomurodov

Uzbekistan

10

Takumi Minamino

Japan

9

Yousef Nasser

Kuwait

9

Wu Lei

China

8

Yuya

Osako

8

The qualification for the Asian Cup is a long and arduous process, with the lower-ranked teams having to go through an extra round of qualifying, while teams like South Korea and Japan enter the conversation in the second round.

The qualification process began in June 2019 and concluded in June 2022, three years later. Granted, these qualifiers also decide which nations progress in the World Cup qualifiers, and there was a global pandemic midway through, so that's pretty good going.

With so many games going on, there are often a fair few players who end up with a healthy goal haul at the end of it all.

The top scorer in this edition's qualifiers was Ali Mabkhout, who found the back of the net 11 times for the United Arab Emirates. Coming in second place was Uzbekistan's Eldor Shomurodov with ten goals.

Japan's Takumi Minamino and Kuwait's Yousef Nasser came in as the joint-third-highest scorers with nine each.

Asian Cup 2023 draw

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Qatar

Australia

Iran

Japan

South Korea

Saudi Arabia

China

Uzbekistan

United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Malaysia

Thailand

Tajikistan

Syria

Hong Kong

Iraq

Jordan

Kyrgyzstan

Lebanon

India

Palestine

Vietnam

Bahrain

Oman

The draw for the Asian Cup took place on 11th May 2023, and while the competition's seeding has meant that there aren't any huge clashes in the group stages, there are still some intriguing games for fans to get excited about.

For example, the opening game of the tournament should be an interesting one, as hosts Qatar take on fellow Middle Eastern side Lebanon, while Australia play India the following day.

Qatar's third group game should be a good watch as well as they play the would-be hosts, China.

One benefit of the seeding, however, is that we could see some early giant-killings if we're lucky.

Premier League players going to the Asian Cup

While the world's focus will be on the teams as a whole in this tournament – as it should be – we're sure a fair few of you will be looking out for your side's players out in Qatar, so which Premier League players are heading to the Middle East in the new year?

Surprisingly, there are only six players from the English top-flight who may be involved in the competition, but they are quite important ones.

Brentford will have to make do without Saman Ghoddos as he flies out with Iran, while Wolverhampton Wanderers will be without South Korea star Hwang Hee-chan.

Three Japanese players could be leaving these shores for a month: Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu, Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma and Liverpool's Wataru Endo.

However, it's probably Tottenham Hotspur who will be most impacted by the tournament as they will have to make do without their captain, Son Heung-min, and he could be gone for longer than some of the others given the strength of South Korea's team.

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With the AFC Asian Cup 2023 now upon us, FFC takes a look at which players from the Premier League and Scottish Premiership will feature.

Posts ByLuke Randall Jan 2, 2024 Asian Cup champions

The reigning champions of the Asian Cup are the hosts for this edition, Qatar.

The Middle Eastern state came up against tournament heavyweights Japan in the 2019 final, and while they had been impressive on their journey to the match, nobody really expected them to beat the Japanese; after all, they had never lost an Asian Cup final.

However, two goals in the first half gave the underdogs something to defend in the second. That said, they actually ended up adding a third in the second 45 thanks to a late penalty.

The game ended 3-1, and Qatar won their first major honour in international football.

Can they do it again in 2024? ​​​​​​

The favourites for the Asian Cup

They might have lost the final in 2019, and in a fairly convincing manner, but it is hard to look past this Japan team at the moment. The Samurai Blue have won all six of their recent games, scoring 24 goals and conceding just five along the way.

They haven't been playing minnows, either – beating Germany, Canada and Peru by a scoreline of 4-1 while putting six past El Salvador and beating Turkey 4-2.

South Korea will also head into the competition full of confidence, as with players like Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in, they can beat anyone on their day.

Australia will fancy their chances as well after a strong showing at the Qatar World Cup, which saw them make it out of the group and put up a decent fight against Argentina in the round of 16.

Finally, the hosts, Qatar, have to get a look-in as well. They were able to stun the world and lift the trophy away from home in 2019, so who is to say they can't do it again in front of their own fans – and with the experience of the World Cup behind them.

The most successful country in Asian Cup history

Country

Titles

Year(s)

Japan

4

2011, 2004, 2000, 1992

Saudi Arabia

3

1996, 1988, 1984

Iran

3

1976, 1972, 1968

South Korea

2

1960, 1956

Israel

1

1964

Kuwait

1

1980

Australia

1

2015

Iraq

1

2007

Qatar

1

2019

Japan have won the Asian Cup more than any other nation, with a genuinely impressive four wins under their belts, and it probably should have been five were it not for Qatar's heroics four years ago.

Their last triumph came in 2011 when they beat Australia 1-0 in extra time courtesy of a Tadanari Lee goal.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are the second-most successful nations in the Asian Cup, with both countries claiming three titles. Iran's most recent success came in 1976, whereas Saudi Arabia last won it all in 1996.

The third-most decorated team in Asian Cup history is South Korea, although they haven't won the trophy since 1960, so they are certainly due a win.

There are five countries with one title to their name.

How to watch the Asian Cup on UK TV

Unfortunately, for fans in the UK, there are very few options for watching the AFC Asian Cup next year; in fact, as things stand, there is only one.

According to the official AFC website, fans in the UK can watch the action on Triller's subscription streaming service, FITE.

As we get closer to the start of the tournament, more options might become available, but as things stand, you will need an account with FITE to watch the AFC Asian Cup.

How the game played outLocal firepower helped Sylhet Sixers to a 58-run win over Khulna Titans. Liton Das, Afif Hossain and Sabbir Rahman struck quick runs to power them to 195 for 4 in 20 overs. Sixers made a solid start when Liton and Afif added 71 for the opening stand, before Sabbir and Mohammad Nawaz provided a flourish in their 89-run unbroken fifth-wicket stand.Afif’s 49 contained five fours and two sixes, while Sabbir cracked four fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 29-ball 44. Sixers then bowled with much discipline too, particularly Nabil Samad, who finished with 3 for 20 from his four overs.Turning points

• Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Nawaz plundering 52 runs in the last three overs to give the Sixers a much-needed scoring spike
• Jason Roy’s amazing one-handed catch, running from long-off and diving full length to his left, to get rid of Brendan Taylor when he was looking dangerous.

Star of the dayAfif played some superb strokes during his 37-ball knock, timing the ball well through point and square leg after starting his scoring with a six off Subashis Roy.The big missTitans’ bad day was summed up by the run out of Junaid Khan in the 18th over. After Nawaz had half-stopped the ball, he began examining his fingers for an injury. When called out to throw the ball, Nawaz scored a direct hit, and despite all the time the batsmen had in their hands to decide on the extra run, Junaid was stranded well outside his crease at the non-striker’s end, when Nawaz found the stumps with his throw.Where the teams standWith eight points, Sixers crawled back up to fifth place, displacing Rajshahi Kings. Titans, however, seem to be out of the tournament after their eighth defeat in 10 games.

The international break is an often disliked bugbear for many fans of the top European leagues. However, when the dead-rubbers are out of the way and we get to the business end of proceedings, the permutations are looked up and studied.

So, now that regular club football has returned once more – Football FanCast has recapped everything involving Euro 2024, which includes who’s through and who’s not, and following the recent draw made by UEFA, how the play-off competition works out for all involved in the three 'paths'.

How Euro 2024 works

At this tournament, being held by three-time champions Germany next year, there are ten host cities. These will see action with the beginning of the tournament on 14th June at the Munich Football Arena (or Allianz Arena).

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Before tournament action begins, the draw for group placings takes place in Hamburg on Saturday 2nd December. As the host nation, Germany are seeded in Group A and will occupy position A1.

2024’s format will be the same as Euro 2020. The top two in each of the six final tournament groups will proceed to the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed finishers.

Teams that have qualified for Euro 2024

Since Euro 2024 qualifiers initially kicked off in March 2023, the formative 53 UEFA member associations have been whittled down to 20 (plus the hosts, Germany).

The seeding for the final tournament has also been determined, with England squeezing into Pot 1 thanks to their qualifying record. Fellow heavyweights Portugal, France, Spain and Belgium are all also seeded, while the three play-off winners will join holders Italy in Pot 4.

The qualified teams are as follows:

Germany

Host

27 September 2018

13

Belgium

Group F winner

13 October 2023

6

France

Group B winner

13 October 2023

10

Portugal

Group J winner

13 October 2023

8

Scotland

Group A runner-up

15 October 2023

3

Spain

Group A winner

15 October 2023

11

Turkey

Group D winner

15 October 2023

5

Austria

Group F runner-up

16 October 2023

3

England

Group C winner

17 October 2023

10

Hungary

Group G winner

16 November 2023

4

Slovakia

Group J runner-up

16 November 2023

5

Albania

Group E winner

17 November 2023

1

Denmark

Group H winner

17 November 2023

9

Netherlands

Group B runner-up

18 November 2023

10

Romania

Group I winner

18 November 2023

5

Switzerland

Group I runner-up

18 November 2023

5

Serbia

Group G runner-up

19 November 2023

5

Czech Republic

Group E runner-up

20 November 2023

10

Italy

Group C runner-up

20 November 2023

10

Slovenia

Group H runner-up

20 November 2023

1

Croatia

Group D runner-up

21 November 2023

6

Euro 2024 qualifying procedure

For the rest of the competing teams that have yet to qualify, there’s no reason to despair – as this competition has play-off places where the countries in limbo can find reprieve. Playing a part in this are the team’s results and standings from the Nations League group games played last year.

The 12 play-off participants have been split into three paths comprising of four teams each. In each path, there will be two single-leg semi-finals on 21st March, with the winners progressing to a one-off final on 26th March.

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The play-off 'paths' depend on nations' respective performances in their Nations League division, with the best-placed teams granted an automatic play-off berth if they were unable to qualify through the regular qualifying group phase.

Path C: Georgia, Greece and Kazakhstan were all assured of a play-off place after winning their Nations League C groups. However, due to Turkey qualifying for the final tournament outright, their play-off spot went to the best-performing League C team who didn't qualify, which was Luxembourg.

Therefore, one of these teams will qualify for the tournament:

21st March

Georgia

vs

Luxembourg

Tbilisi

21st March

Greece

vs

Kazakhstan

Athens

26th March

Winner Match 1

vs

Winner Match 2

Tbilisi/Luxembourg City

Path B: The teams in Path B were determined by a draw, due to there only being two teams advancing to the play-offs from Path A. As winners of their Nations League groups, Israel and Bosnia & Herzegovina were guaranteed home semi-final slots. The three best-performing League B teams from the Nations League who failed to qualify automatically (Finland, Ukraine and Iceland) were drawn to decide who will face League B opponents, and who will fill the slot in Path A.

The remaining League A slot was taken up by the highest-ranked League D side, Estonia.

21st March

Israel

vs

Iceland

To be decided

21st March

Bosnia & Herzegovina

vs

Ukraine

Zenica

26th March

Winner Match 1

vs

Winner Match 2

Zenica/TBD

Path A: As explained above, the four slots in Path A's play-off route were taken up by the two League A nations who failed to qualify (Poland and Wales), League D's leading team (Estonia) and the remaining League B side (Finland).

The former two were guaranteed home semis, while Wales and Finland were handed the prospect of a home final following a separate draw.

21st March

Wales

vs

Finland

Cardiff

21st March

Poland

vs

Estonia

Warsaw

26th March

Winner Match 1

vs

Winner Match 2

Cardiff/Helsinki

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The young batsman was carried off the field after going to ground attempting to take a catch

Andrew McGlashan30-Nov-20182:29

Agarkar: I see Shaw playing a part later in the series

Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia in Adelaide after suffering an ankle injury while attempting to take a catch on the deep midwicket boundary on the third day of the tour match against the Cricket Australia XI in Sydney.Shaw got under the catch – from a lofted shot by Max Bryant – but went over on his left ankle as he tried to keep himself inside the boundary. He stayed down on the ground as the India physio raced across to assess him and was then carried off the field into the changing rooms looking in significant pain before going to hospital for scans having been driven around the boundary on a cart.He later returned on crutches and by mid-afternoon confirmation that he was out of at least one Test came through. With the second Test in Perth starting four days after Adelaide is due to finish it could be touch and go whether he will be fit by then.”Shaw underwent scans this morning and the reports revealed a lateral ligament injury,” a BCCI statement said. “Shaw will be unavailable for the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. He will undergo an intensive rehabilitation program to hasten the recovery.”Shaw was taking time to come to terms with the injury according to R Ashwin. “He is feeling a bit sore and it has swollen up a little bit. it’s sad that it happened the first time he came out on the field. I hope he recovers fast. He has not spoken much. It has hit him pretty hard. He’s young boy who has come to play in Australia for the first time, had a dream start to his test career, so it’s hit him pretty hard.”It’s unfortunate what’s happened, but these things happen. You must have heard these clichés before, but these things do happen and it’s an opportunity for someone else. I believe everything happens for a reason.”Prithvi Shaw lies on the ground in pain after injuring his ankle•Getty Images

It is a significant blow to India as Shaw was pencilled in as one of the openers while India debate who partners him, either KL Rahul who failed in the first innings at the SCG or the recalled M Vijay.Shaw was in sparkling form on the second day at the SCG as he struck a boundary-laden 66 and his arrival in Australia has created much excitement with comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar. He made a superb start to his Test career against West Indies were he scored 237 runs in three innings including a stunning century on debut in Rajkot.After his eye-catching display yesterday, India’s batting coach Sanjay Banger lauded Shaw’s temperament and ability to adapt at such a young age.”In whichever format he’s played he’s made a mark straightaway,” he said. “Wherever he has played he has shown he can adapt to conditions and the stage as well. He plays with a lot of clarity and the impressive thing about him is he gets into good position. The fearlessness of youth probably helps him.”If India do decide to call up a replacement as cover it would probably be between Shikhar Dhawan, who was dropped after the tour of England, or the uncapped Mayank Agarwal.