Football fans in Asia will be gearing up for some high-octane extravaganza as the 2023 AFC Asian Cup will begin on January 12, in Qatar. The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be the tournament’s 18th edition and will consist of 24 national teams, divided into six groups. The hosts are also the defending champions and the tournament was postponed to January 12-February 10 2024 due to high summer temperatures in Qatar and also their participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Host selection
China was initially selected as the winning bid in 2019, and the tournament was scheduled for 2023. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, China lost its hosting rights and there was a second round of bidding and Qatar came out on top.
Venues
Al Khor: Al Bayt Stadium
Lusail: Lusail Stadium
Al Rayyan: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium
Doha: Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium
Al Wakrah: Al Janoub Stadium
Qualified teams
The teams who have qualified for 2023 AFC Asian Cup are:
– China
-Japan
-Syria
-Qatar
-South Korea
-Australia
-Iran
-Saudi Arabia
-United Arab Emirates
-Iraq
-Oman
-Vietnam
-Lebanon
-Palestine
-Uzbekistan
-Thailand
-India
-Hong Kong
-Tajikistan
-Kyrgyzstan
-Bahrain
-Malaysia
-Jordan
-Indonesia
Groups
Group A: Qatar, China, Tajikistan, Lebanon
Group B: Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, India
Group C: Iran, UAE, Hong Kong, Palestne
Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony for 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be held at the Lusail Stadium on January 12, and has been named ‘The Lost Chapter of Kelileh and Demneh’.
Officiating
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will have 33 referees, 37 assistant referees, two stand-by referees and two stand-by assistant referees, including two female referees and three female assistant referees. VAR will be used for the entire tournament.
Broadcast and live streaming
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be broadcasted on live television in India via Sports18 network. Meanwhile, it will be live streamed on JioCinema.
