Commentary: Football’s Asian century is still on hold

Commentary

World Cup 2026 has shown that the future of football is not in Asia yet, says Gearoid Reidy for Bloomberg Opinion.

Japanese football team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after facing off Brazil in the Round of 32. REUTERS/Phil Noble

01 Jul 2026 05:58AM

TOKYO: In the early 2000s Sepp Blatter, the then-head of football’s governing body FIFA, spoke of where he saw the sport going. “In Asia you have more than half the world’s population,” he said. “The future of football must be in Asia.”With a clear link between finances and on-pitch success, it was a common sentiment for the growing region, and as the World Cup opened in Japan and South Korea in 2002, many predicted the new century would see a winner emerge from this part of the world.The 2026 World Cup, the biggest ever, featured a record nine Asian teams, up from six in the previous tournament. But after Japan crashed out to a late goal against Brazil on Monday (Jun 29), it only leaves Australia, which joined the Asian Football Confederation as recently as 2006.