Riyadh: Asian Football Confederation AFC President and FIFA Senior Vice President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa affirmed that Asia enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals with unprecedented confidence and ambition, marking its largest-ever participation in the tournament.

According to Saudi Press Agency, in a statement ahead of the World Cup, he said: "Asian teams demonstrated during qualifying their ability to compete at the highest levels through technical quality, discipline, and ambition. This places our representatives before a historic opportunity to achieve new milestones that enhance Asia's standing among the world's elite national teams."

He added: "A record nine Asian teams qualifying for the World Cup reflects the remarkable progress football has made in our continent, and we trust our teams will deliver performances worthy of Asia's fans' aspirations."

He concluded by expressing confidence in the success of the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup and wishing all Asian teams and referees success in achieving new accomplishments.