Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa will be re-elected unopposed as President of the Asian Football Confederation ©Getty Images

Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa will be re-elected unopposed as President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after being confirmed as the only candidate.

The Bahrain official will be ushered back in for another four-year term at the AFC Congress on his home turf in Manama on February 1 and 2.

He first became AFC President in 2013 when he was elected to replace Mohamed bin Hamman, the disgraced Qatari official who received a second life ban from FIFA in 2012.

Bin Hamman was sanctioned due to "conflicts of interest" during his time as AFC President and had a bitter rivalry with Shaikh Salman, who he defeated in a Presidential election in 2011.

In the 2013 vote, Shaikh Salman defeated Bin Hammam supporters Yousuf al-Serkal of the United Arab Emirates and Thailand's Worawi Makudi.

He completed the 20 months left on the term and was then re-elected again unopposed in 2015 and 2019.

At the 2015 FIFA Presidential election, Shaikh Salman entered the race to succeed Sepp Blatter but missed out to Gianni Infantino.

He has since pledged his support for Infantino who is also seeking re-election next year.

The role of AFC President automatically makes the holder a FIFA vice-president.

As the longest-serving continental head Shaikh Salman is currently senior vice-president, while he also chairs the FIFA Development Committee.

A major decision on the horizon for the AFC is the destination of the 2023 and 2027 Asian Cups.

Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, left, is a supporter of Gianni Infantino, right, after previously running against him for FIFA President ©Getty Images
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, left, is a supporter of Gianni Infantino, right, after previously running against him for FIFA President ©Getty Images

Next year's tournament was due to be held in China but the country pulled out due to the Government's strict COVID-19 policies.

South Korea, Qatar and Indonesia have entered the race to step in, with time ticking away.

The award of the 2027 event has already been delayed by a year because of COVID-19 complications.

Either India, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Qatar is due to be selected next year.

The AFC will also elect five vice-presidents at its Congress in Manama, with one representing each of its regions.

There will only be a contest in the central zone where incumbent Mehdi Taj of Iran faces a challenge from Kyrgyzstan's Dastanbek Konokbaev.

Lebanon's Hachem Haidar will become vice-president for the west zone, replacing Qatar's Saoud A. Aziz M A Al-Mohannadi. 

Ugen Tsechup of Bhutan will take the role for the south zone, coming in for Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat of Pakistan.

Incumbents Zaw Zaw of Myanmar and Ganbaatar Amgalanbaatar of Mongolia will keep their positions for the south-east and east zones, respectively. 

Seats on the FIFA Council and AFC Executive Committee will also be contested.