Craig Foster has issued a grim assessment of the Asian contingent’s results at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, labelling the confederation’s efforts “shockingly bad” on the international stage
Speaking on Stan Sport’s Added Time, Foster gave a scathing critique of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) — of which the Socceroos are a member — while heavily praising the teams from the Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Advertisement
The numbers of each conference’s performance paint a stark contrast between the two regions. Asia has majorly underperformed while Africa exceeded expectations in the tournament’s expanded format
“I’m very mixed on this one. Asia has done shockingly badly. You notice that Africa has done brilliantly, nine out of 10 into the Round of 32,” Foster said
“Asia has been absolutely abysmal. So Asia needs to rethink that.”
From the AFC, only two teams out of eight have made it through to the Round of 32 – Japan and Australia
In comparison, nine out of 10 teams made it through in the CAF
That includes Algeria, Egypt, Cabo Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Morocco, South Africa and Senegal
Read more
‘Weird’ vibe could await Socceroos at iconic American stadium
Only Tunisia did not make it through to the knockout stages from the African confederation
Advertisement
“Of course we had a couple of debutants (Jordan and Uzbekistan) but we didn’t do well at all. Sadly with Graham’s Iraq, that was an amazing journey, but it was a very difficult group as well,” Foster explained
“I would like Japan to get through deep in the tournament for Asia and also for them. I like their football
“But I think when it comes to the end quality, it’s likely that Brazil will get the job done.”
After finishing second in Group F behind the Netherlands, Japan has been handed a knockout bout against Brazil
Advertisement
Advertisement
The five-time champions are widely expected to breeze through to the Round of 16 as fellow Socceroos icon Mark Bosnich agreed with Foster’s prediction, backing the South American giants to go all the way
“I’m going for Brazil,” Bosnich said
“At the start of the tournament I thought France would win it. But I wanted to go for a bit of an outsider in the teams that could win it
Advertisement
“I’ve actually tipped Brazil for the tournament to win the tournament (so) I think Foz is exactly right.”
Japan plays Brazil on Tuesday at 3am AEST in Houston, Texas
-
World Cup live updates: Four-time champs knocked out in historic shootout
-
‘Shockingly bad’: Socceroos results bury ‘abysmal’ World Cup reality
-
World Cup recap: Brazil fever to hit Aussie shores in historic fixture
-
Dutch star announces tragic loss of unborn baby during World Cup
