2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
South Korea, though, finally created their first chance of note midway through the first half as Ignatiy Nesterov produced a superb double block to deny Lee Keun-ho and Nam Tae-hee before the Uzbekistan goalkeeper was at full-stretch moments later to superbly produce a one-handed flying save to push Son's curling effort from just inside the area over the crossbar.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
But Uzbekistan's chances were dealt a huge blow 16 minutes before half-time as captain Ahmedov was forced off with an injury to be replaced by Timur Kapadze, and despite beginning the contest on the back foot, South Korea fought back to finish the first half on top. Nesterov remained the busier of the two goalkeepers at the start of the second half with another flying one-handed save to beat away Lee Jung-hyup's header from Ki Sung-yueng's 47th minute free-kick.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
Both sides, though, enjoyed plenty of possession inside the final third during an open second 45 minutes with the goalkeepers at either end of the field having to remain on their toes as Lee Keun-ho fired into the side netting with just under 20 minutes remaining following a lapse in concentration by the Uzbekistan defence. South Korea then enjoyed their own stroke of luck with 12 minutes remaining as Lutfulla Turaev headed wide at the back post from Sardor Rashidov's chipped cross with the goal at his mercy and goalkeeper Kim struggling to recover. Group A winners South Korea were able to finish the end of normal time on top, but after Nam failed to connect with the goal at his mercy inside the final 10 minutes, the first draw of the tournament sent the tie to extra-time.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
But with just over a minute of the first half of extra-time remaining, Nesterov was unable to hold Son's stooping close range header from Kim Jin-su's deflected cross and the ball crept across the line to finally break the deadlock after Shukhrat Mukhammadiev had conceded possession close to the touchline. And with just over a minute remaining at the end of the second half of extra-time Son repeated the feat as the forward fired high into the roof of the net from Cha Du-ri's pass with Uzbekistan caught short at the back as they searched for an equaliser.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
Assistant referees:Abdulla Al Shalwai (Saudi Arabia)Abu Bakar Al Amri (Oman)Fourth official:Abdullah Al Hilali (Oman)Fifth official:Badr Al-Shumrani (Saudi Arabia)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, China PR vs Australia
Tim Cahill's second-half brace sent Australia past China 2–0 and into the semi-finals. Cahill opened the scoring shortly after the break before doubling the lead midway through the second-half with arguably the goal of the tournament as Australia reached the last four for the second successive time. Ange Postecoglou's side would face either holders Japan or the United Arab Emirates in Newcastle for a place in the January 31 final in Sydney. Shortly after South Korea punched their semi-final ticket with a 2–0 extra-time win over Uzbekistan in Melbourne, China got off to the better start as Australia, looking slightly nervous, struggled to settle into the game between the Group B winners and the Group A runners-up at Brisbane Stadium.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, China PR vs Australia
The Chinese strike-force of Sun Ke, with three goals from three games in the group stage, and Wu Lei caused problems for the Australian defence, calling goalkeeper Mat Ryan into action several times with their pace and ferocity. But the good times would not last for China, who could have put Australia under serious pressure had they scored within the first 30 minutes.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, China PR vs Australia
Controlling more than 77 per cent of possession in the first half, Postecoglou's men eventually found their feet, going close a couple of times before the break that allowed them to regroup for the second half and in the 49th minute, Cahill did what he does best score in time of need for Australia.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, China PR vs Australia
China cleared a corner from the right but Mathew Leckie headed right back into the box to keep the attack going. Cahill took advantage of a moment of freedom and hit an acrobatic overhead kick past goalkeeper Wang Dalei, who never saw it coming, reacting too late to the spectacular effort that put the hosts into the driver's seat. The deficit forced China to come out, giving Australia more space to work with, and it was Cahill again who capitalised five minutes past the hour, powerfully heading home a cross from left-back Jason Davidson to make it 2–0 and effectively put the game out of their opponents' reach.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, China PR vs Australia
Assistant referees:Jeong Hae-sang (South Korea)Yoon Kwang-yeol (South Korea)Fourth official:Abdulrahman Abdou (Qatar)Fifth official:Taleb Salem Al-Naemi (Qatar)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
Salam Shaker scored the winner as Iraq claimed a place in the semi-finals after edging out arch-rivals Iran 7-6 on penalties following a sensational 3–3 draw at Canberra Stadium. Sardar Azmoun had put Iran in front midway through the first-half but his side went into the break a man down after Mehrdad Pooladi was controversially dismissed by referee Ben Williams. Ahmed Yasin's 56th-minute equaliser then took the game to extra-time where Iraq twice went in front through Younis Mahmoud and Dhurgham Ismail but they were pegged back by Morteza Pouraliganji and most dramatically Reza Ghoochannejhad two minutes from the end.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
But after Iran substitute Vahid Amiri drilled his penalty onto the left-hand upright, Shaker held his nerve to claim victory for Iraq and take them into semi-final with South Korea at Stadium Australia in Sydney. The opening spells of the match were frenetic and furious but amounted to little before a typical driving run down the right from Ashkan Dejagah on 24 minutes was brought to a halt through a firm tackle from Ismail. Vouria Ghafouri, though, was on hand to pick up the pieces and whip in a venomous cross that Azmoun met with a thumping header into the bottom corner of the goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
Alireza Haghighi then saved well from Mahmoud with his feet but as the first period drew to a close there was time for a final moment of drama as Pooladi received his second yellow card of the match following a coming together with Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan to see Iran go into the break a man down and within three minutes of the second half Iran almost saw their goal advantage disappear, too, as Yaser Kasim's free-kick was athletically saved by a Haghighi who launched himself to his left to tip the ball over the bar.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
But on 56 minutes Iraq got the equaliser they had been threatening as Alaa Abdul-Zahra's wicked cross from the left wing evaded defenders and attackers alike before Yasen latched onto the ball at the far post and drove his low angled shot through a group of players and into the net.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
Iraq continued to prod and probe at the 10-man side but were unable to take further advantage of their numerical superiority before the whistle was blown for the end of the 90 minutes and a period of extra-time. And the deadlock was blown open in just the second minute of extra time as cross from Ismail saw the ball clip off Haghighi's outstretched leg and pounced upon by Mahmood whose stopping header found the back of the net for his eighth goal in AFC Asian Cup competitions to put Iraq 2–1 up. A sensational spectacle was still not finished there, though, and with three minutes of the first half of extra-time remaining Pouraliganji thundered home Andranik Teymourian's corner with a bullet header to level the scores again.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
The defender went from hero to villain with five minutes remaining of the extra-time as his crunching tackle on Kasim saw a penalty awarded to Iraq. Ismail showed impressive composure to drive his spot-kick down the middle of the goal with Haghighi already committed to his right. But with two minutes remaining there was a further twist to the tail as once again from a Teymourian corner, Iran caused consternation in the Iraq defence as Javad Nekounam cannoned his header off the woodwork and Ghoochannejhad was on hand to head home to take the game to penalties.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
Ehsan Hajsafi blasted his opening spot kick over the crossbar for Iran, but Saad Abdul-Amir was unable to take advantage and hit his own effort wide and after Amiri hit the post in sudden death, Shaker kept his composure to beat Haghighi and claim victory for Iraq and a place in the semi-finals for the third time in the AFC Asian Cup history.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
After the match, the Iranian Football Federation lodged a formal complaint to FIFA after Iraqi midfielder Alaa Abdul-Zahra tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexanamine, in results that were verified by a WADA-approved laboratory in Cologne. In an email exchange dated September 2014, FIFA promised to take action but there is no record of a suspension for Abdul-Zahra. The AFC disciplinary committee decided that the protest was unfounded and dismissed the case.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Iran vs Iraq
Assistant referees:Matthew Cream (Australia)Paul Cetrangolo (Australia)Fourth official:Chris Beath (Australia)Fifth official:Chow Chun Kit (Hong Kong)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
Defending champions Japan crashed out of the tournament on penalties as Shinji Kagawa missed the decisive spot-kick as the United Arab Emirates secured a 5–4 win after a 1–1 draw between the teams at Stadium Australia. Keisuke Honda was also off target from 12 yards while Ismail Ahmed scored the winning penalty to eliminate the champions as the UAE reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1996. Mahdi Ali's team would face tournament hosts Australia in Newcastle on January 27 as they aim to reach the final for the first time on foreign soil after losing to Saudi Arabia in the final in Abu Dhabi 19 years ago.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
Ali Mabkhout took his tally for the tournament to four from as many games with a well-taken effort in just the seventh minute but Gaku Shibasaki levelled nine minutes from time to take the game into extra-time after the Japanese finally secured a reward for their domination. Javier Aguirre named an unchanged side for the fourth game in a row while the United Arab Emirates were without the suspended Walid Abbas, who was ruled out after picking up a second yellow card of the tournament in the 1–0 loss against Iran in the group stages.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
The Emirates took the lead in the seventh minute, and soon after Mabkhout had given the Japanese a scare when the Al Jazira forward raced in only for a heavy touch to take the ball through to Eiji Kawashima. The 24-year-old, however, made no mistake with his second effort of the game as he controlled Amer Abdulrahman's ball forward before smashing a left-foot shot across Kawashima and into the far corner of the goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
Japan had already gone close in the opening two minutes when Takashi Inui headed just wide, while Honda's snap-shot in the ninth minute was only inches away from restoring parity. The defending champions continued to dominate possession and Inui again had the chance to find the back of the net, only for another weak header from Gōtoku Sakai's in-swinging cross from the right to drop into the goalkeeper's arms. Masato Morishige's header just after the half hour mark met with a similar fate and, just two minutes before the break, Honda powered his low left-foot effort into the side netting. Japan continued their search for the equaliser into the second half. Substitute Yoshinori Muto shot across the face of goal seven minutes after the restart and, two minutes later, the FC Tokyo striker headed wide after Yasuhito Endō's centre from the right.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
With Japan's front line faltering, Yuto Nagatomo tried his luck from the edge of the area, only to send his right foot shot over the bar while, on the hour mark, Kagawa's effort from the edge of the area, after a neat interchange with Honda was saved by Majed Naser. Khamis Esmaeel almost put the ball into his own net, only for Gōtoku Sakai to clear off the line and substitute Yohei Toyoda mistimed his header 15 minutes from time to steer the ball well wide.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
With nine minutes remaining, Japan finally equalised when Shibasaki picked up a return ball from Honda 20 yards from goal before smashing his right-foot effort low beyond Naser's outstretched right hand. Makoto Hasebe could have won it for Japan with five minutes remaining in normal time only for his shot to be blocked by Mohanad Salem's desperate lunge after Kagawa had earlier forced Naser to punch his attempt clear.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, Japan vs United Arab Emirates
Assistant referees:Reza Sokhandan (Iran)Mohammad Reza Abolfazli (Iran)Fourth official:Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)Fifth official:Ebrahim Saleh (Bahrain)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Korea vs Iraq
South Korea would play in the final of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 1988 after Uli Stielike's side handed 2007 champions Iraq a 2–0 defeat to book their place in the competition's final at Stadium Australia. The two-time champions, who have not won the continental title since 1960 would meet either hosts Australia or 21st Arabian Gulf Cup winners the United Arab Emirates on 30 January after goals from Lee Jung-hyup and Kim Young-gwon took the Taeguk Warriors past the Iraqis.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Korea vs Iraq
South Korea last played in the final of the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar in 1988, when they lost on penalties to Saudi Arabia, and Stielike's side avenged a semi-final defeat at the hands of Iraq when Younis Mahmoud and his teammates went on to win in 2007. Stielike made two changes to his starting line-up, bringing in Han Kyo-won for former Asian Player of the Year Lee Keun-ho as veteran right back Cha Du-ri replaced Kim Chang-soo. Iraqi, meanwhile, called up Osama Rashid for the suspended Yaser Kasim and Amjad Kalaf took the place of Columbus Crew midfielder Justin Meram.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Korea vs Iraq
The Koreans wasted little time taking the initiative, with Han Kyo-won narrowly missing with a diving header from Ki Sung-yueng's in-swinging free kick from the left while Nam Tae-hee tried his luck from distance, only to send the ball over the bar. Son Heung-min's 19th minute surge through the Iraqi midfield ended with the Bayer Leverkusen man seeing his drive from distance tipped over the bar by Jalal Hassan, and soon after Lee Jung-hyup claimed his second goal of the tournament.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Korea vs Iraq
The 23-year-old Sangju Sangmu forward rose highest to reach Kim Jin-su's free kick from close to the right touchline before Hassan could punch clear, the header sending the Korean fans amongst the 36,053 crowd into raptures in the 20th minute. South Korea had been dominant in the first half but, with six minutes remaining in the half, Iraq finally had a sight of goal. Ahmed Yasin sent his long-range attempt well over the bar while, two minutes ahead of the break, Kalaf forced Kim Jin-hyeon to drop to his right to push a low shot away for a corner.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Korea vs Iraq
Five minutes after the restart, however, the Koreans all but put the game to bed. Lee Jung-hyup was involved again, this time chesting the ball down on the edge of the area into the path of defender Kim Young-gwon and the Guangzhou Evergrande man's bouncing left footed shot skidded past Hassan and into the corner of the goal. Ki Sung-yueng and Son Heung-min both tried their luck unsuccessfully from long range soon after, before the increasingly desperate Iraqis started pumping the ball long towards captain Mahmoud. But the veteran could not find a way past a Korean defence that has yet to concede a goal at the tournament, and the Taeguk Warriors sealed their long-awaited place in the final of the continental championship.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, South Korea vs Iraq
Assistant referees:Toru Sagara (Japan)Toshiyuki Nagi (Japan)Fourth official:Alireza Faghani (Iran)Fifth official:Reza Sokhandan (Iran)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Hosts Australia advanced to face South Korea in the final game of the tournament after maiden international goals from both Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson in the first half at a damp Newcastle Stadium secured a 2–0 win over the United Arab Emirates. By setting up the final, this was the first time that Australia played the Final in their home soil.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Sainsbury handed 2011 finalists Australia the ideal start to their bid to secure a second consecutive final appearance as the centre-back headed home inside the first three minutes of the semi-final with his first goal for the Socceroos and with Davidson following suit 11 minutes later as the full-back became Australia's 10th different scorer during the tournament, Ange Postecoglou's side would face two-time winners South Korea on 31 January at Stadium Australia looking to claim a maiden continental title.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Both sides made two changes following their semi-final successes, with Australia recalling defender Matthew Spiranovic and midfielder Mark Milligan, while the UAE brought in full-back Walid Abbas and forward Mohamed Abdulrahman. And it was Spiranovic's central defensive partner Sainsbury who handed Australia the ideal start inside the first three minutes as the centre-back powered a downward header from Massimo Luongo's right wing corner past Majed Naser.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Australia, though, were given a huge let off seven minutes later as Ahmed Khalil hit the foot of the post from Abdelaziz Sanqour's low cross with goalkeeper Mathew Ryan rooted to the spot but Australia took full advantage just four minutes later as the UAE defended desperately close to their own goal, but after only being able to scramble the ball out towards the edge of the penalty area, Davidson was on hand to fire a low first-time effort into the bottom corner past Naser. The UAE finally came into the contest at the end of the second half, but with Australia goalkeeper Ryan yet to be fully tested, the hosts still looked the more likely to add to their advantage.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Omar Abdulrahman was finally having more of an impact on the contest at the start of the second half and the UAE remained in the hunt for way back into the contest as Khalil flashed an effort just wide six minutes after the restart with Ryan at full stretch.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Australia coach Postecoglou reacted to this by reshaping the Socceroos' midfield just before the hour mark with the introduction of Matt McKay at the expense of Milligan and Australia were able to close out the contest without any major scares with Postecoglou having the luxury of being able to withdraw both Tim Cahill and Robbie Kruse as the UAE faded over the final minutes having fallen short of a return to the final for the first time since 1996.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Australia vs United Arab Emirates
Assistant referees:Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan)Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)Fourth official:Abdulrahman Abdou (Qatar)Fifth official:Ramzan Al-Naemi (Qatar)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
Tournament leading scorer Ali Mabkhout netted a second half penalty as the United Arab Emirates claimed third place at the tournament after edging out former champions Iraq 3–2 in a thrilling contest at Newcastle Stadium.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
UAE captain Ahmed Khalil opened the scoring for the UAE after 16 minutes only for Waleed Salim and Amjad Kalaf to turn the contest in favour of 2007 champions Iraq before half-time but after Khalil levelled the entertaining contest at the start of the second half with his fourth of the campaign, Mabkhout coolly netted his fifth just before the hour mark after Iraq's Ahmed Ibrahim had been sent-off to hand the 1996 finalists their second-best finish at the AFC Asian Cup.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
With both coaches retaining the majority of their first team and only making minor changes to their starting line-ups following their semi-final defeats earlier in the week, it was the UAE's exciting front three which helped Mahdi Ali's side open the scoring as Mabkhout freed Omar Abdulrahman following a swift counterattack and Khalil was on hand to produce a first-time finish inside the penalty area from the perfectly weighted through ball.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
Iraq, though, were almost back on level terms just four minutes later as Younis Mahmoud's follow-up was acrobatically tipped over the crossbar by substitute UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa after Majed Hassan's attempted sliding clearance on the edge of the penalty area had bounced back off the woodwork following a deflection off the veteran striker.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
But Eisa was given no chance after 28 minutes as Salim was found inside the area by Kalaf and the full-back's strike crucially deflected off Khamis Esmaeel to beat the UAE goalkeeper high at his near post and Eisa was again beaten three minutes before half-time as the UAE custodian could only parry a low rasping drive from Ahmed Yasin from just outside the area and Kalaf was first to react to volley home from 10 yards. Iraq maintained their pressure at the start of the second half and came close to extending their advantage less than a minute after the restart as Mahmoud scuffed wide from inside the area with only Eisa to beat from Yaser Kasim's pass.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
The miss, though, proved costly for Iraq as just six minutes later Khalil beat the offside trap from Abdulrahman's superb chipped ball forward, and after taking one touch to evade onrushing goalkeeper Mohammed Hamed, the striker rolled the ball into the empty net.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
And three minutes before the hour mark the UAE completed the comeback as Ibrahim was sent-off after hauling down Mabkhout inside the area following a mistake by goalkeeper Hamed and the striker picked himself up to coolly beat the Iraq custodian from the resulting penalty to move one goal clear of Jordan's Hamza Al-Dardour and teammate Khalil at the top of the goalscoring chart.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
The UAE came close to extending their lead with 15 minutes remaining as substitute Walid Abbas headed against the foot of the back post from Abdulrahman's deep corner and despite Iraq pressing forward in the closing stages, the UAE held on to claim third place at the AFC Asian Cup for the first time having lost to China on penalties at the same stage in 1992. The United Arab Emirates also effectively became the last team to claim the third place position in the tournament, when this stage was officially abolished in the eventual tournament held at the country.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Third place match
Assistant referees:Yaser Tulefat (Bahrain)Ebrahim Saleh (Bahrain)Fourth official:Ben Williams (Australia)Fifth official:Matthew Cream (Australia)


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Final
Assistant referees:Reza Sokhandan (Iran)Mohammad Reza Abolfazli (Iran)Fourth official:Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia)Fifth official:Abdulla Al-Shalwai (Saudi Arabia)


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification was a qualification process organized by the AFC to determine the participating teams for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by Australia, featured 16 teams.


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
In the initial scheme, ten places were determined by qualification matches, while six places were reserved for the following:


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
As the host nation Australia also finished as runners-up in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the initial 6 automatic qualification spots were reduced to 5, with a total of 11 spots eventually determined by the qualification matches, in which 20 AFC members compete.


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Qualification process
The preliminary draw was held in Melbourne on 9 October 2012, 18:00 UTC+11. The twenty teams involved in the qualifiers were drawn into five groups of four teams each, with each group containing one team from each of the following seeding pots. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team from among all the groups qualified for the finals.


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Qualification process
The following teams did not enter the main qualifying draw, as categorized as "emerging countries" they compete separately. The teams were eligible to qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup by winning either the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup or the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup.


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Qualification process
† Entrants to 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification‡ Entrants to 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Schedule
The following matchdays were assigned by the AFC for 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. As 15 and 19 November 2013 were also the dates of the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a number of alternative matchdays were allocated.


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Groups
In each group, the teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss) and tie breakers were in the following order:


2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Groups, Ranking of third-placed teams
To determine the best third-placed team, the following criteria were used:


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was an international football tournament that was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The 16 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 23 players, including three goalkeepers. Only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads
Before announcing their final squad, several teams named a provisional squad of 23 to 30 players, but each country's final squad of 23 players had to be submitted by 30 December 2014. Replacement of injured players was permitted until six hours before the team's first Asian Cup game. Players marked (c) were named as captain for their national squad. Number of caps counts until the start of the tournament, including all FIFA-recognized pre-tournament friendlies. Player's age is their age on the opening day of the tournament.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Group A, Australia
On 7 December 2014, Postecoglou named a provisional list of 46 players for the tournament. The final squad was announced on 23 December 2014.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Group A, Oman
The final squad was announced on 25 December 2014. There were two changes in the final squad, Sulaiman Al-Buraiki replaced Mohannad Al-Zaabi and Amer Said Al-Shatri replaced Saad Al-Mukhaini


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Group B, Saudi Arabia
The final squad was announced on 25 December 2014. Nasser Al-Shamrani was ruled out for the tournament due to injury and replaced by Ibrahim Ghaleb.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Group C, Iran
The final squad was announced on 30 December 2014. On 7 January 2015, Hashem Beikzadeh was replaced by Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh due to injury.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Group C, United Arab Emirates
The final squad was announced on 27 December 2014. Mohamed Fawzi was ruled out for the tournament due to injury and replaced by Salem Saleh.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Group D, Japan
The final squad was announced on 15 December 2014. However, defender Atsuto Uchida sustained injury afterwards and was replaced by Naomichi Ueda.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Player representation, By club nationality
† Including Nathan Burns who played for Wellington Phoenix, a New Zealand club competing in the A-League.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Player representation, By club nationality
† Including Ki Sung-yueng who played for Swansea City, a Wales club competing in the Premier League.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Player representation, By club nationality
† Including Pak Kwang-ryong who played for FC Vaduz, a Liechtenstein club competing in the Swiss Super League.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Player representation, By club federation
† Including Nathan Burns who played for Wellington Phoenix, a New Zealand club competing in the A-League. All other New Zealand clubs are members of the OFC.


2015 AFC Asian Cup squads, Player representation, By representatives of domestic league
† Including Nathan Burns who played for Wellington Phoenix, a New Zealand club competing in the A-League.


2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship
The 2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship was a beach soccer tournament which took place in Doha, Qatar on 23–28 March 2015. This was the second consecutive time that the AFC Beach Soccer Championship was held in Doha. All matches were played at the Katara Beach.


2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship
The tournament served as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualifier for teams from Asia which are members of AFC, where the top three teams qualified for the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Portugal. In the final, Oman defeated Japan to be crowned champions, and both teams together with third place Iran qualified for the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.


2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship, Participating teams and draw
The following 15 teams entered the tournament. Palestine initially entered but then had to withdraw.


2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship, Participating teams and draw
The draw of the tournament was held on 18 February 2015 at Doha. The 15 teams were drawn into three groups of four teams and one group of three teams.


2015 AFC Beach Soccer Championship, Group stage
Each team earns three points for a win in regulation time, two points for a win in extra time, one point for a win in a penalty shoot-out, and no points for a defeat.


2015 AFC Champions League
The 2015 AFC Champions League was the 34th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 13th under the current AFC Champions League title.


2015 AFC Champions League
Guangzhou Evergrande won the tournament after defeating Al-Ahli in the final. Guangzhou also qualified for the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.


2015 AFC Champions League
Western Sydney Wanderers were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the group stage.


2015 AFC Champions League, Association team allocation
The AFC Competitions Committee proposed a revamp of the AFC club competitions on 25 January 2014, which was ratified by the AFC Executive Committee on 16 April 2014. The member associations are ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2014 rankings:


2015 AFC Champions League, Association team allocation
The AFC Competitions Committee finalised the slot allocation for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC Champions League based on the criteria, including AFC's MA rankings and the implementation of club licensing regulations, on 28 November 2014.


2015 AFC Champions League, Teams
The following 49 teams from 21 associations entered the competition.


2015 AFC Champions League, Teams
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League. TH means title holders.


2015 AFC Champions League, Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).


2015 AFC Champions League, Qualifying play-off
The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of three rounds (preliminary round 1, preliminary round 2, and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team. Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 24 automatic qualifiers. All losers in each round which were from associations with only play-off slots entered the 2015 AFC Cup group stage.


2015 AFC Champions League, Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.


2015 AFC Champions League, Group stage
The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:


2015 AFC Champions League, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split between the two zones until the final. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2015 AFC Champions League, Knockout stage, Round of 16
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the second leg.


2015 AFC Champions League, Knockout stage, Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015. Teams from different zones could not be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.


2015 AFC Champions League, Knockout stage, Semi-finals
In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw.


2015 AFC Champions League, Knockout stage, Final
In the final, the finalist from the West Zone hosted the first leg, while the finalist from the East Zone hosted the second leg (no draw was held to determine the order of legs, as it was reversed from the previous season's final).


2015 AFC Champions League, Awards, Dream team
The AFC selected the following 11 players as 2015 AFC Champions League dream team.


2015 AFC Champions League, Top scorers
Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted when determining top scorer (see regulations, Article 77.4).


2015 AFC Champions League Final
The 2015 AFC Champions League Final was the final of the 2015 AFC Champions League, the 34th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 13th under the current AFC Champions League title.


2015 AFC Champions League Final
The final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format between Emiratis team Al-Ahli and Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande. The first leg hosted by Al-Ahli at Al-Rashid Stadium in Dubai on 7 November 2015, while the second leg hosted by Guangzhou Evergrande at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou on 21 November 2015. Having previously won the tournament in 2013 Guangzhou Evergrande has making its second final appearance in three years.


2015 AFC Champions League Final
Guangzhou Evergrande won the final 1–0 on aggregate and earned the right to represent the AFC at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at the quarterfinal stage.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Venues
The 2015 AFC Champions League Final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format, held at the home of both finalists. It was the third consecutive year that the AFC adopted such an arrangement.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Venues
Al-Ahli's home venue, Al-Rashid Stadium, is a 9,415 seated stadium located in the city of Dubai.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Venues
Two previous final has been held in United Arab Emirates. The first one was in the first leg of the 2002–03 final, Al Ain defeated BEC Tero Sasana F.C. 2–0 in Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium in the city of Al Ain, and they eventually claimed the title 2–1 on aggregate. The second one was 10 years ago, in the first leg of the 2005 final, Al Ain was defeated by Saudis' team, Al-Ittihad, and they eventually lost the title 3–5 on aggregate.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Venues
Guangzhou Evergrande's home venue, Tianhe Stadium, is a 58,500 seated stadium located in the city of Guangzhou.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Venues
In the history of the competition, two finals have been held in China and this final will be the third, and the second that Guangzhou hosted. The first final hosted by a Chinese city in 1989–90, which was won by Chinese side Liaoning FC 3–2 against Nissan Yokohama in the city of Shenyang. The next final, the 2013 and second leg of the 2013, was hosted in Guangzhou. The 2013 final was won by Guangzhou Evergrande on the away goals rule with 3–3 on aggregate.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Rules
The final was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the order of legs decided by draw. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2015 AFC Champions League Final, Match details, First leg, Details
Assistant referees:Jeong Hae-sang (South Korea)Yoon Kwang-yeol (South Korea)Fourth official:Kim Hee-gon  (South Korea)


2015 AFC Champions League group stage
The 2015 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 24 February to 6 May 2015. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2015 AFC Champions League.


2015 AFC Champions League group stage, Draw
The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014, 16:00 UTC+8, at the Petaling Jaya Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.


2015 AFC Champions League group stage, Draw
The following 32 teams (16 from West Zone, 16 from East Zone) were entered into the group stage draw, which included the 24 automatic qualifiers and the eight qualifying play-off winners, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw:


2015 AFC Champions League group stage, Format
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.


2015 AFC Champions League group stage, Format, Tiebreakers
The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:


2015 AFC Champions League group stage, Groups
The matchdays were 24–25 February, 3–4 March, 17–18 March, 7–8 April, 21–22 April, and 5–6 May 2015.


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage
The 2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 19 May to 21 November 2015. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2015 AFC Champions League.


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage, Qualified teams
The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage qualified for the knockout stage. Both West Zone and East Zone had eight teams qualified.


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage, Format
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split between the two zones until the final. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage, Bracket
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the second leg. The matchups are determined as follows:


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage, Bracket
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015, 16:00 UTC+8, at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Teams from different zones could not be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage, Bracket
In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2 (West Zone) and Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4 (East Zone), with winners QF2 and QF4 hosting the second leg.


2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage, Bracket
In the final, the finalist from the West Zone hosted the first leg, while the finalist from the East Zone hosted the second leg (no draw was held to determine the order of legs, as it was reversed from the previous season's final).


2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off
The 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off was played from 4 to 17 February 2015. A total of 25 teams competed in the qualifying play-off to decide eight of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2015 AFC Champions League.


2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, Format
The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of three rounds (preliminary round 1, preliminary round 2, and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team. Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 24 automatic qualifiers. All losers in each round which were from associations with only play-off slots entered the AFC Cup group stage.


2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, Teams
The following 25 teams (11 from West Zone, 14 from East Zone) were involved in the qualifying play-off:


2015 AFC Cup
The 2015 AFC Cup was the 12th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).


2015 AFC Cup
Johor Darul Ta'zim won the tournament after defeating Istiklol in the final.


2015 AFC Cup
Al-Qadsia were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the semi-finals after the Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA.


2015 AFC Cup, Association team allocation
The AFC Competitions Committee proposed a revamp of the AFC club competitions on 25 January 2014, which was ratified by the AFC Executive Committee on 16 April 2014. The member associations are ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2014 rankings:


2015 AFC Cup, Association team allocation
The AFC Competitions Committee decided on the participation of member associations in the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC Cup on 28 November 2014.


2015 AFC Cup, Teams
The following 41 teams from 23 associations entered the competition.


2015 AFC Cup, Teams
Teams in italics played in the 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage (had they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, they would have been replaced by another team from the same association).


2015 AFC Cup, Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).


2015 AFC Cup, Qualifying play-off
The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of two rounds (preliminary round and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team. Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 27 automatic qualifiers.


2015 AFC Cup, Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.


2015 AFC Cup, Group stage
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:


2015 AFC Cup, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2015 AFC Cup, Knockout stage, Round of 16
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the match.


2015 AFC Cup, Knockout stage, Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015. Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.


2015 AFC Cup, Knockout stage, Semi-finals
In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw.


2015 AFC Cup, Knockout stage, Final
In the final, the host team was determined by a draw, held after the quarter-final draw.


2015 AFC Cup, Top scorers
Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted when determining top scorer (see regulations, Article 77.4).


2015 AFC Cup Final
The 2015 AFC Cup Final was the final match of the 2015 AFC Cup, the 12th edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from 'developing countries' in Asia according to the Vision Asia plan.


2015 AFC Cup Final
The final was contested as a single match between Tajikistani team Istiklol and Malaysian team Johor Darul Ta'zim. The match was hosted by Istiklol at the Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe on 31 October 2015. Leandro Velázquez scored the only goal in a match for Johor Darul Ta'zim, who won the match 1–0 and clinched their first title.


2015 AFC Cup Final, Venue
The Pamir Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It is the home stadium of Istiklol and holds 24,000 spectators.


2015 AFC Cup Final, Background
Istiklol qualified for the 2015 AFC Cup group stage as the 2014 Tajik League and 2014 Tajik Cup winners. This was their first appearance in the AFC Cup.


2015 AFC Cup Final, Background
Johor Darul Ta'zim qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off as the 2014 Malaysia Super League champions, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage, and entered the AFC Cup group stage. This was their second appearance in the AFC Cup.


2015 AFC Cup Final, Background
Both teams reached the AFC Cup final for the first time, and Johor Darul Ta'zim was the first team from East Asia Zone to reach the final.


2015 AFC Cup Final, Road to final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


2015 AFC Cup Final, Rules
The final was played as a single match, with the host team decided by draw. If tied after regulation, extra time and, if necessary, penalty shoot-out would be used to decide the winner.


2015 AFC Cup Final, Match
AFC Man of the Match: Safiq Rahim (Johor Darul Ta'zim)


2015 AFC Cup group stage
The 2015 AFC Cup group stage was played from 24 February to 13 May 2015. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2015 AFC Cup.


2015 AFC Cup group stage, Draw
The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014, 15:00 UTC+8, at the Petaling Jaya Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.


2015 AFC Cup group stage, Draw
The following 32 teams (16 from West Zone, 16 from East Zone) were entered into the group stage draw, which included the 27 automatic qualifiers and the five qualifying play-off winners, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw:


2015 AFC Cup group stage, Draw
Note: Teams in italics played in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage (had they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, they would have been replaced by another team from the same association).


2015 AFC Cup group stage, Format
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.


2015 AFC Cup group stage, Format, Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:


2015 AFC Cup group stage, Groups
The matchdays were 24–25 February, 10–11 March, 17–18 March, 14–15 April, 28–29 April, and 12–13 May 2015.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage
The 2015 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 26 May to 31 October 2015. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2015 AFC Cup.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Qualified teams
The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage qualified for the knockout stage. Both West Zone and East Zone had eight teams qualified.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Format
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Bracket
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the match. The matchups were determined as follows:


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Bracket
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015, 15:00 UTC+8, at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Bracket
In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2 and Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4, with winners QF2 and QF4 hosting the second leg.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Bracket
In the final, the host team was determined by a draw, held after the quarter-final draw.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Round of 16
The Persipura Jayapura v Pahang match was not played as scheduled as Pahang players were denied entry into Indonesia due to visa issues. The AFC announced on 10 June 2015 that as a result, Persipura Jayapura forfeited the match and was considered to have lost the match by 3–0, based on the AFC Cup 2015 Competition Regulations and the AFC Disciplinary Code.


2015 AFC Cup knockout stage, Semi-finals, Second leg
On 16 October 2015, the Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA. As a result, both Al-Qadsia and Al-Kuwait were no longer eligible to compete in the AFC Cup. The second legs of both semi-finals were cancelled, and Johor Darul Ta'zim and Istiklol advanced to the final by walkover.


2015 AFC Cup qualifying play-off
The 2015 AFC Cup qualifying play-off was played from 9 to 17 February 2015. A total of 14 teams competed in the qualifying play-off to decide five of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2015 AFC Cup.


2015 AFC Cup qualifying play-off, Format
The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of two rounds (preliminary round and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team. Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 27 automatic qualifiers.


2015 AFC Cup qualifying play-off, Teams
The following 14 teams (12 from West Zone, 2 from East Zone) were entered into the qualifying play-off:


2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship
The 2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship was the 6th edition of the AFC Futsal Club Championship, the annual Asian futsal club championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament was held in Isfahan, Iran between July 31 and August 7, 2015.


2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship, Qualified teams
A total of 12 teams from 12 AFC member associations participated in the tournament. Tasisat Daryaei of Iran, as the representatives of the host association, and Nagoya Oceans of Japan, as the defending champions, automatically qualified for the finals. The other teams are from Thailand, China, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Lebanon.


2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship, Draw
The draw was held on 10 June 2015 in Isfahan. The 12 teams were drawn into four groups of three teams (one seeded team and two unseeded teams). Besides the team from the host association Iran, the teams from Japan, Thailand, and China were also seeded as per the final ranking of the 2014 AFC Futsal Club Championship.


2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship, Group stage
The top two teams of each group advanced to the quarter-finals.


2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship, Group stage
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:


2015 AFC Futsal Club Championship, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (no extra time would be used in the third-place match).


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship
The 2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship was the 6th edition of the AFC U-16 Women's Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the women's under-16 national teams of Asia. The tournament was held in China between 4–15 November 2015. A total of eight teams played in the tournament.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship
Same as previous editions, the tournament acted as the AFC qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The top two teams of the tournament qualified for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan as the AFC representatives, besides Jordan who qualified automatically as hosts.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship
North Korea won their second title with a 1–0 final victory over Japan. Both finalists qualified for the World Cup.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Qualification
The draw for the qualifiers was held on 17 June 2014. Four teams qualified directly for the final tournament by their 2013 performance, while the other entrants competed in the qualifying stage for the remaining four spots.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Venues
Wuhan hosted the tournament, with two venues: Xinhua Road Sports Center and Hankou Cultural Sports Centre.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Draw
The draw for the final tournament was held on 13 May 2015 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. The eight teams were drawn into two groups of four teams. The teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous edition in 2013.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Squads
Players born between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2001 were eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team can register a maximum of 23 players (minimum three of whom must be goalkeepers).


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Group stage
The top two teams of each group advanced to the semi-finals.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Group stage
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, penalty shoot-out was used to decide the winner if necessary (extra time was not used).


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Qualified teams for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
The following three teams from AFC qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Jordan qualified as hosts.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification
The 2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification was a women's under-16 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship. Players born between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2001 were eligible to compete in the tournament.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification
A total of eight teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Japan, North Korea, China PR (hosts), and Thailand, who qualified directly as the top four finishers of the 2013 AFC U-16 Women's Championship.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification
The top two teams of the final tournament qualified for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan (besides Jordan who qualified automatically as hosts).


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
The draw for the qualifiers was held on 17 June 2014 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 21 AFC member national teams entered the qualifying stage and were drawn into four groups.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous season in 2013.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
Afghanistan Bhutan Iraq Kuwait Lebanon Maldives   Nepal Oman Pakistan Saudi Arabia Syria Turkmenistan Yemen


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification, Format
In each group, teams played each other once at a centralised venue. The four group winners qualified for the final tournament.


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification, Format, Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:


2015 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification, Groups
The matches were played between 4–8 October 2014 for Group C; 5–9 October 2014 for Group D; 15–23 October 2014 for Group B; 22–25 December 2014 for Group A.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship
The 2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship was the 8th edition of the AFC U-19 Women's Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the women's under-19 national teams of Asia. The tournament was held in China between 18–29 August 2015. A total of eight teams played in the tournament.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship
Same as previous editions, the tournament acted as the AFC qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The top three teams of the tournament qualified for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Papua New Guinea as the AFC representatives.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship
Japan won their fourth title with a final victory over North Korea on penalties. Both finalists and third-placed South Korea qualified for the World Cup.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Qualification
The draw for the qualifiers was held on 17 June 2014. Four teams qualified directly for the final tournament by their 2013 performance, while the other entrants competed in the qualifying stage for the remaining four spots.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Venues
Nanjing hosted the tournament, with two venues: Jiangning Sports Center and Jiangsu Training Base Stadium.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Draw
The draw for the final tournament was held on 13 May 2015 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. The eight teams were drawn into two groups of four teams. The teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous edition in 2013.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Squads
Players born between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2000 were eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team can register a maximum of 23 players (minimum three of whom must be goalkeepers).


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Group stage
The top two teams of each group advanced to the semi-finals.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Group stage
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Qualified teams for FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The following three teams from AFC qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification
The 2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification was a women's under-19 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship. Players born between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2000 were eligible to compete in the tournament.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification
A total of eight teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including South Korea, North Korea, China PR (hosts), and Japan, who qualified directly as the top four finishers of the 2013 AFC U-19 Women's Championship.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification
The top three teams of the final tournament qualified for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Papua New Guinea.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
The draw for the qualifiers was held on 17 June 2014 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 14 AFC member national teams entered the qualifying stage and were drawn into four groups.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous season in 2013.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
Afghanistan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Iraq Kyrgyzstan Kuwait Maldives   Nepal Oman Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Tajikistan Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Yemen


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Draw
Brunei Cambodia Guam Indonesia Laos Macau Malaysia Mongolia Northern Mariana1 Philippines Timor-Leste


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Format
In each group, teams played each other once at a centralised venue. The four group winners qualified for the final tournament.


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Format, Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:


2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship qualification, Groups
The matches were played between 5–9 November 2014 for Groups A, C and D; 7–11 November 2014 for Group B.


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship
The 2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship was the first edition of the AFC Women's Futsal Championship, the biennial international futsal championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the women's national teams of Asia. The tournament was held in Nilai, Malaysia between September 21–26, 2015.


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship, Qualified teams
A total of eight AFC member national teams participated in the tournament. The event invitations were based on participation in the previous two editions of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (2009 and 2013).


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship, Venues
All matches were played at the Nilai Indoor Stadium, Nilai.


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship, Draw
The draw was held on 14 July 2015 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The eight teams were drawn into two groups of four teams (one seeded team and three unseeded teams). Japan and Iran, the champions and runners-up at the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, were seeded in Pot 1, while all other teams were unseeded in Pot 2.


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship, Group stage
The top two teams of each group advanced to the semi-finals.


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship, Group stage
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:


2015 AFC Women's Futsal Championship, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (no extra time would be used in the third place match).


2015 AFF Futsal Championship
The 2015 AFF Futsal Championship was the 12th edition of the tournament which was held in Thailand from 8 to 16 October 2015. This edition will also act as a qualification tournament for the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship.


2015 AFF Futsal Championship
A statement in June stated that Thailand and Australia were already assured of qualification to the 2016 AFC Championship, due to their positioning in the previous (2014) edition. This was later modified back so that those who reach the semi-finals shall qualify.


2015 AFF Futsal Championship
Singapore participated at the tournament after a 13-year absence, last participating at the inaugural edition in 2001.


2015 AFF Futsal Championship, Teams
The tournament was originally set to be hosted by Indonesia but the country's national football association was suspended by FIFA, barring the country from both hosting and participating in the tournament.


2015 AFF Futsal Championship, Teams
The following groups were drawn at the 15th AFF Council meeting in Singapore on 16 June 2015.


2015 AFF Futsal Championship, Teams qualified
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-out are counted as draws.


2015 AFF Futsal Club Championship
2015 AFF Futsal Club Championship  is the first edition of AFF Futsal Club Championship. The tournament will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 23 to 29 November. The Futsal clubs from AFF member countries will be invited to compete in the tournament.


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship
The 2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship is the 10th edition of the AFF U-16 Youth Championship, organised by the ASEAN Football Federation. It will be hosted by Cambodia for the second time after the 2007 AFF U-17 Youth Championship. It will be played between 27 July to 9 August 2015. It was set to be hosted by Indonesia but they were suspended by FIFA in May 2015.


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Participant teams
All twelve member associations of the ASEAN Football Federation were set to take part in the tournament featuring three groups of four teams, but with Indonesia's suspension, they were omitted and the AFF reverted to two groups featuring six and five teams.


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Participant teams
The following groups were drawn at the 15th AFF Council meeting in Singapore on 16 June 2015.


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Venues
The two venues to host matches are Olympic Stadium and Army Stadium in Phnom Penh. The matches of Group A will be held in Olympic Stadium and Army Stadium; the matches of Group B will be held in Olympic Stadium and the matches of Knockout stage will be held in Olympic Stadium.


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Squads
Players born on or after 1 January 1999 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team can register a maximum of 23 players (minimum three of whom must be goalkeepers).


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Group stage
The top two teams of each group advance to the semi-finals.


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Group stage
The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner if necessary (extra time is not used).


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:


2015 AFF U-16 Youth Championship, Final ranking
As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.


2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship
The 2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship was the 13th edition of the tournament which was held in Laos for the first time between 22 August to 4 September 2015. It was initially going to be played in Indonesia but they were suspended by FIFA in May 2015.


2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship, Teams
All twelve member associations of the ASEAN Football Federation were set to take part in the tournament featuring three groups of four teams, but with Indonesia's suspension, they were omitted and the AFF reverted to two groups featuring six and five teams.


2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship, Teams
The following groups were drawn at the 15th AFF Council meeting in Singapore on 16 June 2015.


2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship squads
The 2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship was an international football tournament that was held in Laos from 22 August until 4 September. The 10 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 23 players; only players in these squads are eligible to take part in the tournament.


2015 AFF Women's Championship
The 2015 AFF Women's Championship was the 8th edition of the AFF Women's Championship, an international women's football tournament organised by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The tournament was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam between 1–10 May 2015. Eight teams played in the tournament.


2015 AFF Women's Championship, Participating teams
The following 8 teams took part in the tournament at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:


2015 AFF Women's Championship squads
Below are the squads for the 2015 AFF Women's Championship, hosted by Vietnam, which is took place between 1–10 May 2015.


2015 AFL Grand Final
The 2015 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 3 October 2015. It was the 119th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League (formerly the Victorian Football League), staged to determine the premiers for the 2015 AFL season. The match, attended by 98,632 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 46 points, marking the club's third consecutive premiership and thirteenth VFL/AFL premiership victory overall. Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Background
Hawthorn experienced an average start to the year, with a record of 4–4 after eight matches (including losses to non-finals teams Essendon, Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney), but would lose just twice more for the remainder of the regular season to finish in the top three for the fifth consecutive year. The team then lost its Qualifying Final to West Coast at Domain Stadium by 32 points, but rebounded to defeat Adelaide and Fremantle in their Semi and Preliminary Finals, by 74 and 27 points respectively, to qualify for its fourth consecutive AFL Grand Final.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Background
West Coast entered the season low on expectations after finishing ninth the previous year and losing key defenders Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown to knee injuries early on. Losing two of their first three games, to the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle, the Eagles finished the season with a record of 16–5–1 to finish in the top two for the first time since 2006. The Eagles received the week off after beating Hawthorn in the Qualifying Final by 32 points, and subsequently defeated North Melbourne by 25 points in the Preliminary Final to progress to their first Grand Final since 2006.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Background
Hawthorn and West Coast also met once during the home-and-away season, in round 19, also at West Coast's home ground Domain Stadium, with Hawthorn winning by 14 points.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Background
The Grand Final was held on the first Saturday in October, rather than its traditional date on the last Saturday of September, because the 2015 Cricket World Cup delayed access to some AFL grounds early in the season. The game was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), as is traditional. The MCG serves as Hawthorn's main home ground for the home and away season, and media commentators suggested that Hawthorn would have an advantage playing there over West Coast who had only played there once during the season compared to Hawthorn's 11 matches. It was the second time that the two sides had met in a Grand Final; the first was in 1991, a contest which Hawthorn won by a margin of 53 points.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Background
The 2015 AFL Grand Final was the last AFL match to utilise substitutions until the 2021 season; the AFL reverting to a four-man interchange bench from the 2016 AFL season onwards. The last AFL substitution occurred in the 27 minute mark of the match's 3rd quarter, with Matt Suckling replacing David Hale.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Media coverage
The match was televised by the Seven Network. The match commentary was conducted by Bruce McAvaney and Dennis Cometti for the Seven Network, marking the duo's seventh grand final appearance together as commentators since 2008 and their eleventh overall. Individually, it was Cometti's seventeenth grand final and McAvaney's fifteenth.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Media coverage
The match was shown on Seven's main channel and also their high-definition channel, 7mate. A total of 2,640,000 people across the two channels watched the match, making the Grand Final the most viewed television broadcast of the day.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Pre-match entertainment
Similar to previous grand finals, the 2015 AFL Grand Final provided both pre-match and post-match entertainment. On 7 September 2015, it was announced that English singer Ellie Goulding, Canadian musician Bryan Adams and American musician Chris Isaak would be performing on the day. On 17 September 2015, the league announced that Australian singer Kate Ceberano would perform the national anthem, while musician Mike Brady would perform his famous football song, "Up There Cazaly".


2015 AFL Grand Final, Pre-match entertainment
For the first time, the day before the Grand Final was declared a public holiday in Victoria by the incoming Daniel Andrews government, as promised during the campaigning for the 2014 Victorian state election. As this would reduce the number of workers in the Melbourne City Centre, the traditional route for the Grand Final Parade was changed to leave from the Old Treasury Building and finish at Yarra Park, adjacent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A record crowd of 150,000 people turned up to watch the parade.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary
The game was played on a very hot day, with the temperature reaching 31.3 degrees Celsius at 3:28 pm. This broke the previous record high for a Grand Final of 30.7 degrees Celsius recorded at the 1987 VFL Grand Final. Prior to the game it was widely thought that the conditions would favour West Coast after Hawthorn had played a tough finals campaign of three successive finals, including travelling to Perth twice, without having a week off. The Eagles, being based in Perth, were also generally more used to playing in warmer conditions than Hawthorn.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, First quarter
Luke Shuey kicked the first goal two minutes into the game from a free kick awarded against Jordan Lewis. Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli responded only 90 seconds later and the Hawks kicked the next four goals of the quarter, with Ben McEvoy, Rioli, Grant Birchall and Bradley Hill each kicking majors. Meanwhile, the Eagles wasted opportunities, with Shuey ignoring a handball to an open Jamie Cripps in front of goal in preference to a dribbled kick that missed. West Coast's Jack Darling also missed a goal at the thirteen-minute mark. At the first change the Hawks led by 19 points.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Second quarter
The Hawks completely dominated the first half of the second quarter. Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge kicked the first goal in the first minute of the term with a remarkable checkside kick from hard against the boundary line in the forward pocket. The Eagles continued to waste opportunities, with captain Shannon Hurn hitting the post from directly in front of goals to make the scoreline 1.6 to 6.1 at the six-minute mark. This was followed by a burst of three goals from the Hawks in quick succession, with Jack Gunston kicking two and Isaac Smith one, resulting in Hawthorn taking a stranglehold on the game.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Second quarter
After trailing by 44 points at the 14-minute mark of the term, Sam Butler and Matt Priddis missed shots at goal, but West Coast briefly threatened to get back into the game when Josh Hill and Elliot Yeo kicked the final two goals of the quarter, the latter from a set shot after the siren. The Hawks enjoyed a 31-point lead at half time.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Third quarter
The two teams traded goals in the first half of the quarter as the Eagles made a challenge to get back into the game. Darling kicked the first goal of the third quarter for the Eagles, but then the Eagles squandered 2 golden opportunities for goals inside 50 to close the margin further. Shuey turned the ball over by foot when he had a simple handball option available before Darling dropped a simple chest mark that would’ve given him another set shot on goal. The Hawks then made the Eagles pay through the agency of Ryan Schoenmakers.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Third quarter
Three minutes later Mark Hutchings kicked truly for the Eagles to again close the margin and give the Eagles some hope. However this proved to be a false dawn as the Hawks then effectively killed the contest by kicking four unanswered goals through Gunston (two goals), Smith and substitute Matt Suckling, to take a commanding 50-point break into the final period.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Final quarter
Hawthorn began the last quarter where they left off in the third, with a goal to Jarryd Roughead just two minutes in and another to Smith two minutes later. In a moment that was said to epitomise Hawthorn's attitude on the day, full-back Brian Lake made a diving smother to prevent a certain Josh Hill goal for the Eagles, despite the game being effectively over. The next fifteen minutes of the term were goalless before the Eagles restored some respectability to the scoreline with the final three goals of the game (one to Mark LeCras and two to Jeremy McGovern).


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Overall report
Hawthorn clearly beat the opposition across the ground, with 19 more inside 50s, 16 more contested possessions, 115 more disposals and 14 more tackles. The Eagles were largely tentative and paid for poor ball use, frequently making skill errors and turning the ball over. Hawthorn's goalkicking was also accurate when it mattered - early in the final quarter they had scored 16.5, but added a further six behinds after that.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Overall report
Amongst the best for Hawthorn were Rioli (18 disposals, 12 marks, two goals and four goal assists), Sam Mitchell (34 touches, six clearances), James Frawley (22 disposals, 11 marks and kept Eagles forward Josh Kennedy goalless), Hodge (30 disposals, 8 marks), Smith (three goals and 23 disposals), Shaun Burgoyne (26 disposals), Josh Gibson (29 disposals and 8 marks) and Gunston (four goals). Andrew Gaff was the best for the Eagles with 34 disposals.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Overall report
The Hawks became only the fifth club and sixth team in VFL/AFL history to win a hat-trick of premierships, and the first to do so since the Brisbane Lions in 2001, 2002 and 2003 Grand Finals. Seven Hawks players became four-time premiership winners: Rioli, Lewis, Mitchell, Roughead, Birchall and Hodge all with Hawthorn, and Burgoyne adding a third Hawthorn premiership medallion to his premiership won with Port Adelaide in 2004. Alastair Clarkson also won his fourth premiership as coach of Hawthorn, making him the 12th four-time VFL/AFL premiership coach.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Norm Smith Medal
Cyril Rioli was named the Norm Smith Medallist (best on ground). Rioli polled 13 votes out of a possible 15, beating his teammate Sam Mitchell who had nine votes. Rioli emulated his uncles Maurice Rioli—who won the medal for Richmond in 1982 in their loss to Carlton—and Essendon's Michael Long, who was awarded the medal in their win over Carlton in 1993.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Match summary, Norm Smith Medal
Chaired by Peter Bell, the voters and their choices were as follows:


2015 AFL Grand Final, Teams
The teams were announced on 1 October 2015. Hawthorn made one change to its lineup from the previous week's preliminary final, with Jack Gunston returning from an ankle injury and Billy Hartung omitted. West Coast named an unchanged team from its preliminary final. Matt Rosa was the substitute for West Coast and Matt Suckling filled that role for Hawthorn.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Teams
The umpiring panel, comprising three field umpires, four boundary umpires, two goal umpires and an emergency in each position is given below. The most notable appointment was field umpire Jeff Dalgleish's selection for his first grand final.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Teams
Numbers in brackets represent the number of Grand Finals umpired, including 2015.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Strikes in the lead-up
More than 180 brewery workers at the Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) factory in Abbotsford, Victoria voted to go on strike in the lead up to the 2015 AFL Grand Final. It was feared that this could potentially affect the production of Carlton Draught and Victoria Bitter in the lead up to the game, although the brewery stated that a strike would not cause any loss of production, and that Carlton & United could potentially request supplies from its other factories during a strike if production was lost.


2015 AFL Grand Final, Strikes in the lead-up
Also affecting Melbourne in late 2015 was a series of transport strikes. Strikes by tram and train drivers against Yarra Trams and Metro Trains Melbourne during finals were threatened, with CFMEU Secretary John Setka declaring that the finals were a "wonderful time to have some industrial action".


2015 AFL Mark of the Year
The Australian Football League celebrates the best mark of the season through the annual Mark of the Year competition. In 2015, this is officially known as the Weet-Bix AFL Mark of the Year. Each round three marks are nominated and fans are able to vote online for their favourite.


2015 AFL Rising Star
The NAB AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a stand out young player in the Australian Football League. The award was won by Jesse Hogan of Melbourne who polled 49 votes, beating Carlton's Patrick Cripps who finished on 41 votes.


2015 AFL Rising Star, Eligibility
Every round, an Australian Football League rising star nomination is given to a stand out young player. To be eligible for nomination, a player must be under 21 on 1 January of that year and have played 10 or fewer senior games before the start of the season; a player who is suspended may be nominated, but is not eligible to win the award. At the end of the year, one of the 23 nominees is the winner of award.


2015 AFL Under 18 Championships
The 2015 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships was the 20th edition of the AFL Under 18 Championships. Eight teams competed in the championships: Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia in division one, and New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (NSW/ACT), Northern Territory, Queensland and Tasmania competed in division two. The competition was played over six rounds across two divisions.


2015 AFL Under 18 Championships
Vic Country won the division one title, and Queensland were the champions of division two. Both teams finished the championships undefeated.


2015 AFL Under 18 Championships, All-Australian team
The All-Australian team was selected by Kevin Sheehan (AFL national and international talent manager), Brenton Sanderson (AFL Academy head coach), Michael Ablett (AFL talent football manager), Lenny Hayes (football projects officer), Michael Agresta (recruiting manager, Sydney), Merv Keane (recruiting manager, Essendon), Dom Milesi (recruiting manager, Collingwood), Chris Drain (recruiting manager, Port Adelaide), and Simon Dalrymple (recruiting manager, Western Bulldogs).


2015 AFL draft
The 2015 Australian Football League draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) can trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2015 AFL season. Additions to each club's playing list are not allowed at any other time during the year.


2015 AFL draft
The key dates for the trading and drafting periods were:


2015 AFL draft
Additionally, following the guilty verdicts handed down to 34 past and present Essendon players in January 2016 for doping violations, Essendon was given the opportunity to recruit top-up players between January and March 2016.


2015 AFL draft, Player movements, Free agency
The initial list of free agents, published in March 2015, consisted of 74 unrestricted and restricted free agents, however, 35 of those players re-signed and 15 retired during or after the home-and-away season.


2015 AFL draft, Player movements, Trades
For the first time, clubs were allowed to trade future selections from the next year's draft as well as the current draft. Geelong became the first AFL club to trade a future draft pick on 14 October 2015 when they traded their 2016 first round pick to Carlton for Lachie Henderson.


2015 AFL draft, 2015 national draft
The 2015 AFL national draft was held on 24 November 2015 at the Adelaide Convention Centre. For the first time, live bidding occurred during the draft for selections made under the father–son rule and from the northern state's development academies, whereby each draft selection is allocated a points value. Clubs nominating a player were forced to use their existing draft selections to match the points value of the pick used by the club bidding for the player.


2015 AFL draft, 2015 national draft, Rookie elevations
Clubs were able to promote any player who was listed on their rookie list in 2015 to their 2016 primary playing list prior to the draft. In total, 14 players were promoted.


2015 AFL draft, 2016 rookie draft
The 2016 AFL rookie draft was held on 27 November 2015. The official rookie draft order was released on 26 November and each club, with the exception of Greater Western Sydney who are still operating with an expanded list, can have between four and six players on their rookie list, as long as they have a maximum of 44 players on their combined primary and rookie lists.


2015 AFL draft, 2016 rookie draft
The pre-season draft was not held as all eligible clubs informed the AFL they would not be participating.


2015 AFL draft, Player breakdown
A total of 134 players were drafted across the national and rookie drafts. The following is a breakdown of players drafted by position and the league they were drafted from:


2015 AFL draft, Player breakdown
The TAC Cup was the league with the highest number of players drafted, with forty-five in total. The Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup had the most players drafted out of any team with seven players.


2015 AFL draft, Essendon top-up signings
On 12 January 2016, thirty-four past and present Essendon Football Club players – twelve of whom were still on the Essendon list – were suspended until November 2016 after being found guilty of being injected with the banned substance thymosin beta-4 during the 2012 season, significantly compromising Essendon's playing list for 2016. The club received permission to augment its list by recruiting up to ten top-up players from lower levels on contracts which would last until 31 October 2016. The club was limited to players who had been on an AFL list in either 2014 or 2015, with no more than one player to be taken from any state-level club; or, it could recruit any VFL-listed player from its own reserves team without restriction.


2015 AFL finals series
The 2015 Australian Football League finals series was the 119th annual edition of the VFL/AFL final series, the Australian rules football tournament staged to determine the winner of the 2015 AFL Premiership Season. The series ran over four weekends in September and October 2015, culminating with the 2015 AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 3 October 2015. Hawthorn won the match by 46 points against West Coast, recording their third consecutive premiership. The match was played in October, due to the season starting later than usual.


2015 AFL finals series
The top eight teams from the season qualified for the finals series. AFL final series have been played under the current format since 2000. Fremantle, West Coast, Hawthorn, Sydney, Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide and North Melbourne are the teams that qualified. Geelong missed the finals series for the first time since 2006.


2015 AFL finals series, Qualification
Reigning premiers Hawthorn appeared in their sixth straight finals appearance. Sydney also qualified for their sixth straight finals appearance. Fremantle finished first, securing their first minor premiership and McClelland Trophy, as well as appearing in their fourth consecutive finals. Richmond appeared in their third consecutive finals series, a feat not achieved since 1973-1975, while North Melbourne also appeared in their second consecutive finals series and third in four years. The Western Bulldogs made their first finals appearance since 2010 while Adelaide returned to the finals after a three-year absence.


2015 AFL finals series, Venues
The matches of the 2015 AFL finals series were contested at three venues around the country. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) hosted two elimination finals, hosted by Richmond and the Western Bulldogs, a semi final, hosted by Hawthorn, and the Grand Final. ANZ Stadium also hosted a semi final as part of a contract which requires any final hosted bythe Sydney Swans to be played there instead of their usual home ground, the SCG, until the end of 2016. Domain Stadium hosted four finals for the first time in history with both Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles hosting a qualifying final and preliminary final each.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches
The system used for the 2015 AFL finals series is a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight receive the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals, such that if a top-four team loses in the first week it still remains in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight play knock-out games – only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home-state advantage goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks, to the qualifying final winners in the third week.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches
In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals receive a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final plays the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two play the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches move on to the Grand Final at the MCG in Melbourne.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches, Week one (qualifying and elimination finals), Second qualifying final (West Coast vs. Hawthorn)
The opening match of the 2015 finals series featured second placed West Coast and reigning premiers, third placed Hawthorn. West Coast finished the season with 66 premiership points (16-5-1) while Hawthorn had finished with 64 (16-6-0) and both sides had the highest percentages of any team in the top eight; 148.2% and 158.4%. West Coast made their first finals appearance since 2012 and hosted their first qualifying final since 2006. This match was the first time in twenty-three years the clubs have met in the finals; last contesting the First Elimination Final in 1992.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches, Week one (qualifying and elimination finals), Second qualifying final (West Coast vs. Hawthorn)
Despite the Hawks leading by one point at quarter time, West Coast restricted them to just 2.6 (18) over the next two quarters, while adding 10.9 (69) to their own score to lead remarkably by 50 points at three quarter time. Hawthorn's half time score was its lowest since Round 15, 2011 against Collingwood. Hawthorn kicked five goals to two in the last quarter to add some respectability, with the final margin being thirty two points. The Eagles advanced to their first home preliminary final since  2005, while Hawthorn were forced to play off in a semi final for the first time since 2011; having won their previous three qualifying finals in 2012, 2013 and 2014.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches, Week one (qualifying and elimination finals), First qualifying final (Fremantle vs. Sydney)
The first qualifying final was played between minor premiers Fremantle and fourth placed Sydney. This match saw a reversal of the previous year's First Qualifying Final; where Sydney hosted Fremantle and marked the fourth final between the two clubs; including preliminary finals in 2006 and 2013.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches, Week one (qualifying and elimination finals), First qualifying final (Fremantle vs. Sydney)
Fielding a team missing Lance Franklin, Kieren Jack and Luke Parker, the Swans threw everything at the minor premiers but were left to rue their inaccuracy; kicking 7.18 to 10.9 to lose by nine points. This was emphasized by several behinds late in the game that could have seen the match go to extra time. The Swans Josh Kennedy set a record for most consecutive games with thirty or more disposals (eleven); while Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands broke North Melbourne ruckman Gary Dempsey's record for most hit outs in a season (952). Fremantle advanced to their second home preliminary final in three years; meaning both preliminary finals would be played outside Melbourne for the first time since 2006; while Sydney were forced to play off in a semi final the next week.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches, Week one (qualifying and elimination finals), Second elimination final (Western Bulldogs vs. Adelaide)
The second elimination final was contested between Western Bulldogs and Adelaide. The match took place on the night of 12 September 2015, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Both teams had not featured in the finals for several years; with the Bulldogs making their first finals appearance since losing the 2010 Preliminary Final and Adelaide last appearing in the 2012 Preliminary Final. This marked the third final between the two teams, after they contested preliminary finals in 1997 and 1998; which were both won by the Crows in their two premiership years.


2015 AFL finals series, Matches, Week one (qualifying and elimination finals), Second elimination final (Western Bulldogs vs. Adelaide)
In a high-scoring, energetic game, the Bulldogs scored the first four goals of the game before Adelaide kicked the next five to lead by nine points at quarter time. The scoring lessened in the second quarter but the Crows led by eight, extending their lead to eleven at three quarter time. The Dogs quickly erased this lead to get their noses in front by eight points midway through the final quarter; before goals to Taylor Walker and Charlie Cameron sealed a seven-point win to the Crows; condemning the Western Bulldogs to another heartbreaking finals loss. Adelaide advanced to a semi final against Hawthorn, while the Bulldogs were eliminated.