Articles by Paul Williams

About Paul Williams

Paul Williams is an Adelaide-based football writer who has reported on the comings and goings of Asian football for the past decade. Having covered the past two Asian Cups, he writes regularly about the J.League for Optus Sport in Australia, while he also regularly contributes to Arab News. Further, he has previously been published by outlets such as FOX Sports Asia, Al Jazeera English, FourFourTwo, and appeared on numerous TV and radio shows to discuss Asian football.

Women’s World Cup Preview: Australia

July 20, 2023 Paul Williams

This is the moment Australia has waited 1120 days for. From the moment Gianni Infantino declared Australia and New Zealand would host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, every aspect of Australian football has been […]

The best is yet to come: Fayzullaev

July 4, 2023 Paul Williams

Uzbek teen sensation Abbosbek Fayzullaev has boldly declared his nation will finally end their World Cup drought and qualify for the next global showpiece in 2026. On the back of winning the AFC U20 Asian […]

Argentina’s China jaunt full of intrigue

May 25, 2023 Paul Williams

That Australia will face Argentina, in Beijing of all places, in a re-match of their thrilling Round of 16 encounter at last year’s World Cup, is notable for a number of reasons. It speaks to […]

OPINION: AFC to rob the ACL of its soul

May 9, 2023 Paul Williams

Have you ever seen a Tifo quite like it? The fans of Urawa Red Diamonds are known across the continent, in fact probably across the world, for their full stadium Tifo efforts at previous AFC […]

Urawa and Al Hilal ready to battle for ultimate Asian supremacy

May 5, 2023 Paul Williams

The AFC Champions League final is always a marquee fixture on the calendar, but it takes on a bit more meaning when Al Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds are involved. They may be separated by […]

Is Ronaldo’s arrival Saudi Arabia’s ‘Beckham Moment’?

February 7, 2023 Paul Williams

Think of everything you know about Major League Soccer, and then think how much different that would be if David Beckham had not signed for LA Galaxy back in 2007. As much celebrity as he […]

“The worst I’ve seen!” – UAE football a ‘disease’

January 22, 2023 Paul Williams

Everyone in Asian football has a vision. Japan has their 100-year vision, often held up as the blueprint for strategic planning in Asia. India recently launched their new Vision 2047, a 25-year plan to completely […]

OPINION: What is a ‘normal’ World Cup experience?

December 9, 2022 Paul Williams

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. Normal is one of those words in the English language that means different things to different people. A person’s […]

Korea no match for rampant Brazil

December 6, 2022 Paul Williams

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. ‘We are the Dreamers’ by Jung Kook of BTS fame is the official anthem of this World Cup, played […]

Match Preview: Brazil vs South Korea

December 5, 2022 Paul Williams

The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. Twenty-years after shocking the world by beating Italy in the Round of 16, South Korea will be hoping to […]