Qatar is looking forward to continuing to reap successes during its hosting of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, 2024. to become the first country to host the finals of the continental championship for the third time, after 1988 and 2011.
Qatar seeks to continue excellence and dazzle through the successful hosting of various international sporting events, this is after its success in hosting the most important and prominent events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2019 World Athletics Championships, the Formula 1 races, and Arab Cup.
The teams qualified for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 was completed in June, after the completion of the final stage of the final qualifiers.
According to the regulation approved by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to qualify for the tournament, 13 teams found their way to the tournament after participating in the final qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and these teams are Qatar, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, UAE and Vietnam.
As for the other 11 teams that qualified through the final qualifiers, they are Jordan, Palestine, Uzbekistan, India, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Kyrgyzstan.
According to the continental championship regulation, the 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four teams each across Groups A to F, with the top two and four best third-placed teams advancing into the final 16 of the competition, which is held according to the knockout system.
With the escalation of enthusiasm for the start of the tournament competitions at the beginning of 2024, the official date for the tournament draw has been confirmed, based on the monthly ranking of teams issued by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA).
The draw ceremony will be held at the Opera House in Katara, on May 11, at 2:00 pm local time, and the tournament matches schedule will be announced shortly after the draw.
The 24 teams participating in the tournament are awaiting their fate in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup draw after the seeding of the 18th edition of the continental championship has been completed.
The Qatar national team, the host and champion of the last edition of the Asian Championships, has been allocated the first position in Pot 1 ahead of the draw, to ensure that the host nation commences the tournament with the opening match scheduled for Jan. 12, 2024.
Joining the hosts and defending champions in Pot 1 are the teams ranked from second to sixth in Asia in the latest FIFA Ranking namely, four-time winners Japan, three-time champions the Islamic Republic of Iran, two-time winners Korea Republic, 2015 champions Australia and Saudi Arabia who will be aiming to claim their fourth Continental crown.
Japan ranks 20th in the world in the latest FIFA rankings for April, followed by Iran in 24th place, South Korea in 27th place, Australia in 29th place, Saudi Arabia in 54th place, and Qatar in 61st place.
Source: Qatar News Agency