From Dreams to Goals | Iran’s Women’s Football: Progress Behind Restrictions
Release Date: 10/26/2026
From Dreams to Goals | Iran’s Women’s Football: Progress Behind Restrictions
The Asian Game
Iranian women’s football has been growing in visibility and ambition. But a new directive banning men from attending women’s matches threatens to halt that momentum. Gina Bagnulo and Anirudh Nair are joined by Iranian journalist Erfan Hoseiny to examine the decision, which extends beyond supporters to male journalists, photographers, coaches and club officials - and comes just as Tehran prepares for its first women’s derby. What does the ban mean for coverage, scouting and the visibility of female players? How difficult is it already for Iranian women to build careers at home or abroad?...
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From Dreams to Goals | Is Asia ready for the Women’s World Cup?
The Asian Game
Less than a year out from the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, how ready are Asia’s leading nations to compete on the global stage? Gina Bagnulo and Anirudh Nair return with From Dreams to Goals to assess the state of women’s football across Asia as preparations for Brazil accelerate. They discuss Japan and Australia’s credentials against elite opposition, the remarkable progress of DPR Korea at youth level, the Philippines’ preparation in South America, and the long road still facing Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei as they chase World Cup history. There’s also discussion of...
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Paulo Josué | From Brazil to the Heart of Cheras
The Asian Game
Join host Ryan Walters as he goes into the tunnel with players in the ultimate ‘what if’ scenario: seconds away from walking onto the pitch for a World Cup Final. As their career flashes before their eyes, they discuss the matches, milestones, moments, mistakes, and people that shaped who they are. This is football in full life, in full vision. This is Tunnel Vision. In this episode, Ryan welcomes Kuala Lumpur City captain and Malaysia international Paulo Josué. Perhaps the most City of the City Boys, Paulo arrived in Malaysia chasing an opportunity and ended up finding a second...
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The International Window | When does winning in Southeast Asia stop being enough?
The Asian Game
Southeast Asia has just staged two regional international tournaments within little more than a month. But does the region really need both? On the first episode of The International Window, Scott McIntyre is joined by Keeshanan Sundaresan and Dez Corkhill to examine where the traditional ASEAN Championship and the new FIFA ASEAN Cup fit into an increasingly crowded international calendar. Why do these tournaments still matter so much to the region? Should Southeast Asia's leading nations be looking beyond their own neighbourhood for stronger competition? And if two tournaments are going to...
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The Asian Game Podcast | AFC Nations League: Is this what Asian football needs?
The Asian Game
The Asian Game Podcast is back - with a new look, a new sound and a renewed focus on the biggest questions shaping football across Asia. For our first episode of this new era, Scott McIntyre is joined by Michael Church, Martin Lowe and Paul Williams to unpack the AFC’s proposed Nations League and what it could mean for international football across the continent. Could more meaningful matches and promotion and relegation help Asia close the competitive gap? Or would a tiered system create new barriers for developing nations and limit the opportunities of Asia’s best teams to test...
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Road to Riyadh | China’s Green Shoots: Can a new generation change the story?
The Asian Game
Chinese football has spent much of the past decade being defined by disappointment. Another World Cup cycle has ended without qualification, but beneath the struggles of the senior national team there are finally signs of something different. China reached historic finals at both the AFC U23 and U17 Asian Cups in 2026, while a new generation of players is beginning to push towards the senior side under Shao Jiayi. On the inaugural episode of Road to Riyadh, Paul Williams is joined by Xiaoou Zhao of Chinese Sports Diaries to ask whether those green shoots are evidence of genuine structural...
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10-Man Indonesia Hold Malaysia at GBK | FIFA ASEAN Cup Matchday 2 Reactions
The Asian Game
Indonesia and Malaysia played out a tense 0-0 draw at the Gelora Bung Karno, but the result only tells part of the story. Ryan Walters is joined by Indonesian football journalist Ilham Batara Simatupang at GBK to break down a chaotic night in Jakarta, from Tom Haye’s first-half red card and Indonesia’s struggles with 10 men to Malaysia’s missed opportunity to take advantage. They discuss the chants for former Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong around the stadium, questions over John Herdman’s Plan B, Malaysia’s second-half approach, and why a draw against their biggest rivals felt more...
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Park Jungbin | From Bundesliga Beginnings to a Second Half in Asia
The Asian Game
Join host Ryan Walters as he goes into the tunnel with players in the ultimate ‘what if’ scenario: seconds away from walking onto the pitch for a World Cup Final. As their career flashes before their eyes, they discuss the matches, milestones, moments, mistakes, and people that shaped who they are. This is football in full life, in full vision. This is Tunnel Vision. In this episode, Ryan chats with Park Jungbin, the South Korean midfielder whose career has taken him from the Bundesliga, across Europe, back to South Korea, and eventually Southeast Asia. Now at Sabah FC,...
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Indonesia & Malaysia Start Strong | FIFA ASEAN Cup Matchday 1
The Asian Game
The FIFA ASEAN Cup is underway in Jakarta, with Indonesia and Malaysia both making winning starts to Group A. Host Ryan Walters reports from the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium after Malaysia’s 3-0 win over Bangladesh and Indonesia’s 2-0 victory over Singapore, bringing you reaction straight from the post-match press conferences. Hear from Thomas Dooley, Tan Cheng Hoe, Bergson, Gavin Lee, John Herdman and Ole Romeny, including Bergson on an emotional Malaysia debut and Gavin Lee on where Singapore fell short against the hosts. Coach John Herdman also delivers a clear message about his...
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Osmar Ibáñez | From Village Squares to Asian Champion
The Asian Game
Football chooses us. We chase the highs. And one day… the game ends. Join your host Ryan Walters as he steps into the tunnel with players just seconds before a World Cup Final, reliving the matches, milestones, moments, mistakes and people that shaped their careers. This is football in full life, in full vision. This is Tunnel Vision. In this episode, Ryan chats with Osmar Ibáñez, one of Asian football's most decorated defenders, to relive a career that has taken him from Spain to Thailand, South Korea and beyond. A born leader and student of the game, Osmar reflects on the...
info_outlineIranian women’s football has been growing in visibility and ambition. But a new directive banning men from attending women’s matches threatens to halt that momentum.
Gina Bagnulo and Anirudh Nair are joined by Iranian journalist Erfan Hoseiny to examine the decision, which extends beyond supporters to male journalists, photographers, coaches and club officials - and comes just as Tehran prepares for its first women’s derby.
What does the ban mean for coverage, scouting and the visibility of female players? How difficult is it already for Iranian women to build careers at home or abroad? And what does the situation reveal about the wider challenges facing women’s football in West Asia?
From the rise of Bam Khatoon and Iran’s recent Asian Cup appearances to diaspora recruitment, media coverage and the growing gap between East and West Asia, this episode looks beyond the latest headline at where Iranian women’s football goes from here.