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A wave of top European league talent could feature in FIFA's newly launched regional tournament taking place between 24 September and 5 October. With 14 nations set to compete across two divisions, FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed the initiative for providing meaningful international opportunities.

Asian football is enjoying an unprecedented boom across Europe's top five leagues, driven by massive contingents from Japan and South Korea. Indonesian talents have also made historic inroads by featuring in four of the top five divisions alongside representatives from Thailand, China, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

SC Heerenveen have completed the dual signings of Indonesian defender Mees Hilgers and Iraqi winger Marko Farji. The Asian international duo arrive in Friesland to bolster Robin Veldman's squad with proven European experience and international pedigree.

Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It was the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, before succumbing to Lionel Messi's Argentina in a classic.