2023 AFC Asian Cup
18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 2019, with hosts Qatar the defending champions.[3][4]
| AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 كأس آسيا 2023 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Qatar |
| Dates | 12 January – 10 February 2024 |
| Teams | 24 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue | 9 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Qatar (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Jordan |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 51 |
| Goals scored | 132 (2.59 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,507,790 (29,565 per match) |
| Top scorer | Akram Afif (8 goals) |
| Best player | Akram Afif[1] |
| Best goalkeeper | Meshaal Barsham[2] |
| Fair play award | Qatar |
← 2019 2027 → | |
On 17 October 2022, the AFC announced that the tournament would be held in Qatar, replacing the original hosts China.[5] Due to the high summer temperatures and Qatar's participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the tournament was postponed to 12 January – 10 February 2024, while retaining the original name for both existing sponsorship and logistical purposes.[6][7] The 2023 tournament were the second of three consecutive Asian Cup to be held in Middle East, following the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates and preceding the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. This marked the first time a country hosted the AFC Asian Cup having hosted the FIFA World Cup before. Due to the one-year postponement, Qatar 2023 was the only tournament to not have been held in an odd-numbered year since the 2007 edition.
Hosts and defending champions Qatar retained their title after defeating Jordan 3–1 in the final.[8]
Host selection
China was acclaimed as the host country on 4 June 2019, as sole finishing bidder, days just prior to the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris, France.[9] The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from 16 June to 16 July 2023.[10] On 14 May 2022, the AFC announced that China would not host the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic and China's Zero-COVID policy.[11] Due to China's relinquishment of its hosting rights,[12][13] the AFC conducted a second round of bidding, with a deadline for submissions scheduled on 17 October 2022.[14] Four nations submitted bids: Australia, Indonesia, Qatar, and South Korea.[15] However, Australia subsequently withdrew in September 2022,[16] as did Indonesia on 15 October.[17] On 17 October, the AFC announced that Qatar had won the bid and would host the tournament.[5]
Venues
9.9miles
Five host cities were submitted in the 2023 bid, including seven stadiums previously prepared for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 5 April 2023, the AFC announced the eight stadiums across four host cities for the tournament.[18] On 21 August 2023, Lusail Stadium was added as a ninth venue.[19] All but one (Stadium 974) of the host stadiums from the 2022 FIFA World Cup were selected for the tournament, along with Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, which hosted matches during the 2011 edition, and Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, which had not hosted any international tournament previously.
Lusail Stadium hosted the opening match on 12 January.[19] Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan and Al Thumama Stadium in Doha hosted the semi-final matches, with Lusail hosted the final held on 10 February.[19]
On 5 January 2024, the Main Media Centre for the coverage of the tournament was officially inaugurated in Msheireb Downtown Doha.[20]
| City | Stadium | Capacity | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Khor | Al Bayt Stadium | 68,890 |  |
| Lusail | Lusail Stadium | 88,960 |  |
| Al Rayyan | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | 45,030 |  |
| Education City Stadium | 44,660 | _crop.jpg) | |
| Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | 15,000 |  | |
| Khalifa International Stadium | 45,850 |  | |
| Doha | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium | 10,000 | .jpg) |
| Al Thumama Stadium | 44,400 | .jpg) | |
| Al Wakrah | Al Janoub Stadium | 44,320 |  |
Teams
The first two rounds of qualification also served as the Asian qualification for the 2022 World Cup. Qatar, the host of the World Cup, participated only in the second round to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup (which they were later selected as hosts for after China withdrew its hosting rights).
Qualified teams
Of the 24 teams appearing, 20 teams were returning after appearing in the 2019 edition.
Tajikistan were the only debutant in the competition, while Hong Kong marked their return for the first time in 56 years. Indonesia and Malaysia both qualified for the first time since hosting the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
Four nations from the previous edition failed to qualify (North Korea, the Philippines, Turkmenistan, and Yemen). India was the only SAFF representative in this edition, while it was the first time that five teams from the AFF managed to reach the finals (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam). Only two teams from WAFF failed to qualify for this tournament (Yemen and Kuwait). Iran meanwhile extended their qualification record; this was their fifteenth straight appearance in the tournament, having qualified for every edition since 1968.
As of 2026, this was the last time that Hong Kong, India and Malaysia qualified for the Asian Cup, and the last time that Kuwait, North Korea and Singapore failed to qualify.
| Team | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 China | Original hosts and second round Group A runners-up | 4 June 2019[a] | 13th | 2019 | Runners-up (1984, 2004) |
 Japan | Second round Group F winners | 28 May 2021 | 10th | 2019 | Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) |
 Syria | Second round Group A winners | 7 June 2021 | 7th | 2019 | Group stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011, 2019) |
| Qatar | Second round Group E winners, later appointed hosts | 7 June 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Winners (2019) |
 South Korea | Second round Group H winners | 9 June 2021 | 15th | 2019 | Winners (1956, 1960) |
 Australia | Second round Group B winners | 11 June 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Winners (2015) |
 Iran | Second round Group C winners | 15 June 2021 | 15th | 2019 | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) |
 Saudi Arabia | Second round Group D winners | 15 June 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Winners (1984, 1988, 1996) |
 United Arab Emirates | Second round Group G winners | 15 June 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Runners-up (1996) |
 Iraq | Second round Group C runners-up | 15 June 2021 | 10th | 2019 | Winners (2007) |
 Oman | Second round Group E runners-up | 15 June 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Round of 16 (2019) |
 Vietnam | Second round Group G runners-up | 15 June 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Fourth place (1956,[b] 1960[b]) |
 Lebanon | Second round Group H runners-up | 15 June 2021 | 3rd | 2019 | Group stage (2000, 2019) |
 Palestine | Third round Group B winners | 14 June 2022 | 3rd | 2019 | Group stage (2015, 2019) |
 Uzbekistan | Third round Group C winners | 14 June 2022 | 8th | 2019 | Fourth place (2011) |
 Thailand | Third round Group C runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 8th | 2019 | Third place (1972) |
 India | Third round Group D winners | 14 June 2022 | 5th | 2019 | Runners-up (1964) |
 Hong Kong | Third round Group D runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 4th | 1968 | Third place (1956) |
 Tajikistan | Third round Group F winners | 14 June 2022 | 1st | Debut | None |
 Kyrgyzstan | Third round Group F runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 2nd | 2019 | Round of 16 (2019) |
 Bahrain | Third round Group E winners | 14 June 2022 | 7th | 2019 | Fourth place (2004) |
 Malaysia | Third round Group E runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 4th | 2007 | Group stage (1976, 1980, 2007) |
| Jordan | Third round Group A winners | 14 June 2022 | 5th | 2019 | Quarter-finals (2004, 2011) |
 Indonesia | Third round Group A runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 5th | 2007 | Group stage (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007) |
- China was awarded hosting rights on 4 June 2019. They later finished as second round Group A runners-up on 15 June 2021, which would earn them a qualification regardless of the hosting status. China later withdrew their hosting rights on 14 May 2022.
Draw
The draw was held at the Katara Opera House in Doha on 11 May 2023.[21]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar (61) (hosts) Japan (20) Iran (24) South Korea (27) Australia (29) Saudi Arabia (54) |
Iraq (67) United Arab Emirates (72) Oman (73) Uzbekistan (74) China (81) Jordan (84) |
Bahrain (85) Syria (90) Palestine (93) Vietnam (95) Kyrgyzstan (96) Lebanon (99) |
India (101) Tajikistan (109) Thailand (114) Malaysia (138) Hong Kong (147) Indonesia (149) |
Draw result
Teams were drawn into Groups A to F. For the first time in AFC Asian Cup history, the teams from lowest pots were drawn first but not assigned to the positions of their groups, following by number orders of the group stage, as in previous editions. Pot 1 teams were assigned to the first positions of their groups, while next the positions of all other teams were drawn separately from Pot 4 to 2 (for the purposes of determining the match schedules in each group).
The groups were confirmed following the draw:
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| A1 | Qatar |
| A2 | China |
| A3 | Tajikistan |
| A4 | Lebanon |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| B1 | Australia |
| B2 | Uzbekistan |
| B3 | Syria |
| B4 | India |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| C1 | Iran |
| C2 | United Arab Emirates |
| C3 | Hong Kong |
| C4 | Palestine |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| E1 | South Korea |
| E2 | Malaysia |
| E3 | Jordan |
| E4 | Bahrain |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| F1 | Saudi Arabia |
| F2 | Thailand |
| F3 | Kyrgyzstan |
| F4 | Oman |
Squads
Officiating
On 14 September 2023, the AFC announced the list of 33 referees, 37 assistant referees, two stand-by referees and eight stand-by assistant referees for the tournament, including two female referees and three female assistant referees. (This included Yoshimi Yamashita, who became the first woman to referee at any AFC Asian Cup.)[25] Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was used for the entire tournament following its implementation from the quarter-final stage onwards in the 2019 edition.[26][27] The Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) system, which utilized twelve specialized cameras and artificial intelligence, was also implemented at all 51 matches. This marked the first time that SAOT was in place at an AFC competition and made the AFC the first confederation to apply the system at the continental men's national team level.[28]
- Referees
Shaun Evans-
Alireza Faghani - Kate Jacewicz
Fu Ming- Ma Ning
- Mooud Bonyadifard
Mohanad Qasim Sarray
Yusuke Araki- Jumpei Iida
- Hiroyuki Kimura
- Yoshimi Yamashita
Adham Makhadmeh
Ahmad Al-Ali- Abdullah Jamali
Nazmi Nasaruddin
Ahmed Al-Kaf
Abdulrahman Al-Jassim- Abdulla Al-Marri
- Khamis Al-Marri
- Salman Ahmad Falahi
Mohammed Al Hoish- Khalid Al-Turais
Muhammad Taqi
Kim Hee-gon- Kim Jong-hyeok
- Ko Hyung-jin
Hanna Hattab
Sadullo Gulmurodi
Sivakorn Pu-udom
Omar Al-Ali- Adel Al-Naqbi
- Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed
Akhrol Riskullaev- Ilgiz Tantashev
- Assistant referees
- Ashley Beecham
- Anton Shchetinin
- Zhang Cheng
- Zhou Fei
- Alireza Ildorom
- Saeid Ghasemi
- Ahmed Al-Baghdadi
- Watheq Al-Swaiedi
- Makoto Bozono
- Jun Mihara
- Takumi Takagi
- Naomi Teshirogi
- Mohammad Al-Kalaf
- Ahmad Al-Roalle
- Ahmad Abbas
- Abdulhadi Al-Anezi
- Mohd Arif Shamil Bin Abd Rasid
- Mohamad Zairul Bin Khalil Tan
- Abu Bakar Al-Amri
- Rashid Al-Ghaithi
- Saoud Al-Maqaleh
- Taleb Al-Marri
- Zaid Al-Shammari
- Yasir Al-Sultan
- Abdul Hannan Bin Abdul Hasim
- Ronnie Koh Min Kiat
- Kim Kyoung-min
- Park Sang-jun
- Yoon Jae-yeol
- Ali Ahmad
- Mohamad Kazzaz
- Tanate Chuchuen
- Rawut Nakarit
- Mohamed Al-Hammadi
- Hasan Al-Mahri
- Timur Gaynullin
- Andrey Tsapenko
- Stand-by referees
- Stand-by assistant referees
- Cao Yi
Cheung Yim Yau- Ismail Al-Hafi
- Saad Al-Fadhli
- Abdulrahman Hussein
- Mohammed Al-Abakry
- John Chia Eng Wah
- Farkhad Abdullaev
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony, named "The Lost Chapter of Kelileh o Demneh" took place at Lusail Stadium, before the opening game between Qatar and Lebanon on 12 January 2024.[29][30]
Group stage
Winner Runner-up |
Semi-finals Quarter-finals |
Round of 16 Group stage |
Tiebreakers
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:[23]
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they played each other in the last round of the group;
- Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
- Drawing of lots.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar (H) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Tajikistan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | China |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Lebanon |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
| Tajikistan | 0–1 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Tajikistan | 2–1 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Uzbekistan |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | |
| 3 | Syria |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | India |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| India | 0–3 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Palestine |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Hong Kong |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3–1 | Hong Kong |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Iran | 4–1 | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Iran | 2–1 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Japan |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Indonesia |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Vietnam |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 0 |
| Japan | 4–2 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Iraq | 3–2 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | South Korea |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Jordan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 | |
| 4 | Malaysia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 |
| South Korea | 3–1 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Jordan | 2–2 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| South Korea | 3–3 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Thailand |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Oman |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Kyrgyzstan |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
| Thailand | 2–0 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Kyrgyzstan | 1–1 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Ranking of third-placed teams
The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advanced to the knockout stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up.
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 28 January – Al Rayyan (ABAS) | ||||||||||||||
| Tajikistan (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2 February – Al Rayyan (ABAS) | ||||||||||||||
| United Arab Emirates | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| Tajikistan | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 29 January – Al Rayyan (KIS) | ||||||||||||||
| Jordan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Iraq | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 6 February – Al Rayyan (ABAS) | ||||||||||||||
| Jordan | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Jordan | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 28 January – Al Rayyan (JBHS) | ||||||||||||||
| South Korea | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Australia | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 2 February – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Indonesia | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Australia | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 30 January – Al Rayyan (ECS) | ||||||||||||||
| South Korea (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| 10 February – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
| South Korea (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Jordan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 31 January – Doha (ABKS) | ||||||||||||||
| Qatar | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Iran (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||
| 3 February – Al Rayyan (ECS) | ||||||||||||||
| Syria | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| Iran | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 31 January – Doha (ATS) | ||||||||||||||
| Japan | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Bahrain | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 7 February – Doha (ATS) | ||||||||||||||
| Japan | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Iran | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 29 January – Al Khor | ||||||||||||||
| Qatar | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Qatar | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 3 February – Al Khor | ||||||||||||||
| Palestine | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Qatar (p) | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 30 January – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Thailand | 1 | |||||||||||||
Round of 16
| Tajikistan | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–3 | ||
| Uzbekistan | 2–1 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Quarter-finals
| Australia | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Semi-finals
| Jordan | 2–0 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Final
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 132 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.59 goals per match.
8 goals
6 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
- Jordan Bos
- Harry Souttar
Abdullah Al-Hashash- Abdulla Yusuf Helal
- Ali Madan
- Chan Siu Kwan
Marselino Ferdinan- Asnawi Mangkualam
- Sandy Walsh
- Karim Ansarifard
- Shojae Khalilzadeh
- Mohammad Mohebi
- Mohanad Ali
- Saad Natiq
- Osama Rashid
- Rebin Sulaka
- Ritsu Dōan
- Wataru Endō
- Takefusa Kubo
- Hidemasa Morita
- Keito Nakamura
- Yazan Al-Arab
- Nizar Al-Rashdan
Joel Kojo
Bassel Jradi- Arif Aiman
- Faisal Halim
- Romel Morales
- Muhsen Al-Ghassani
- Salaah Al-Yahyaei
Zaid Qunbar- Tamer Seyam
- Jassem Gaber
- Ali Al-Bulaihi
- Faisal Al-Ghamdi
- Abdulrahman Ghareeb
- Mohamed Kanno
- Abdullah Radif
- Cho Gue-sung
- Hwang Hee-chan
- Hwang In-beom
- Jeong Woo-yeong
- Vahdat Hanonov
- Nuriddin Khamrokulov
- Parvizdzhon Umarbayev
- Supachok Sarachat
- Khalifa Al Hammadi
- Zayed Sultan
- Odiljon Hamrobekov
- Sherzod Nasrullaev
- Igor Sergeev
Bùi Hoàng Việt Anh- Nguyễn Đình Bắc
- Nguyễn Quang Hải
- Phạm Tuấn Hải
1 own goal
- Elkan Baggott (against Australia)
- Justin Hubner (against Japan)
- Ayase Ueda (against Bahrain)
- Yazan Al-Arab (against South Korea)
- Park Yong-woo (against Jordan)
- Vahdat Hanonov (against Jordan)
- Bader Nasser (against Palestine)
Source: AFC
Discipline
A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[23][33]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions could be extended for serious offences)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two matches (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
- After reaching the semi-finals, all yellow cards and red cards received are reset. This means that even if a player receives a yellow card in the semi-finals, any previous cards won't count, allowing them to participate in the final
The following suspensions occurred during the tournament:
| Player(s)/Official(s) | Offence(s) | Suspension(s)[34] |
|---|---|---|
| Hazza Ali |
Positive doping sample after Group E match vs South Korea (matchday 1; 15 January 2024)[a] | Group E vs Jordan (matchday 3; 25 January 2024)[36] |
| Amadoni Kamolov |
 in Group A vs Qatar (matchday 2; 17 January 2024) |
Group A vs Lebanon (matchday 3; 22 January 2024) Round of 16 vs United Arab Emirates (28 January 2024) Quarter-final vs Jordan (2 February 2024) |
| Pedro Miguel |
 in Group A vs Lebanon (matchday 1; 12 January 2024) in Group A vs Tajikistan (matchday 2; 17 January 2024) |
Group A vs China (matchday 3; 22 January 2024) |
| Khalifa Al Hammadi |
in Group C vs Palestine (matchday 2; 18 January 2024) |
Group C vs Iran (matchday 3; 23 January 2024) |
| Paulo Bento (manager) |
 in Group C vs Palestine (matchday 2; 18 January 2024)[35] | |
| Lê Phạm Thành Long |
in Group D vs Indonesia (matchday 2; 19 January 2024) |
Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 24 January 2024) |
| Theerathon Bunmathan |
in Group F vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 1; 16 January 2024) in Group F vs Oman (matchday 2; 21 January 2024) |
Group F vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 25 January 2024) |
| Ayzar Akmatov Kimi Merk |
in Group F vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 2; 21 January 2024) |
Group F vs Oman (matchday 3; 25 January 2024) |
| Kassem El Zein |
in Group A vs Tajikistan (matchday 3; 22 January 2024) |
Suspension served outside the tournament |
| Hossein Kanaanizadegan |
in Group C vs Palestine (matchday 1; 14 January 2024) in Group C vs UAE (matchday 3; 23 January 2024) |
Round of 16 vs Syria (31 January 2024) |
| Khuất Văn Khang |
in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 24 January 2024) |
Suspension served outside the tournament |
| Aymen Hussein |
in Round of 16 vs Jordan (29 January 2024) | |
| Hamza Al-Dardour |
in Round of 16 vs Iraq (29 January 2024) |
Quarter-final vs Tajikistan (2 February 2024) |
| Nizar Al-Rashdan |
in Group E vs Malaysia (matchday 1; 15 January 2024) in Round of 16 vs Iraq (29 January 2024) | |
| Abdukodir Khusanov |
in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 13 January 2024) in Round of 16 vs Thailand (30 January 2024) |
Quarter-final vs Qatar (3 February 2024) |
| Mehdi Taremi |
in Round of 16 vs Syria (31 January 2024) |
Quarter-final vs Japan (3 February 2024) |
| Salem Al-Ajalin Ali Olwan |
in Group E vs Bahrain (matchday 3; 25 January 2024) in Quarter-final vs Tajikistan (2 February 2024) |
Semi-final vs South Korea (6 February 2024) |
| Kim Min-jae |
in Group E vs Bahrain (matchday 1; 15 January 2024) in Quarter-final vs Australia (2 February 2024) |
Semi-final vs Jordan (6 February 2024) |
| Aiden O'Neill |
in Quarter-final vs South Korea (2 February 2024) |
Suspension served outside the tournament |
| Khalid Muneer |
in Group A vs China (matchday 3; 22 January 2024) in Quarter-final vs Uzbekistan (3 February 2024) |
Semi-final vs Iran (7 February 2024) |
| Shojae Khalilzadeh |
in Semi-final vs Qatar (7 February 2024) |
Suspension served outside the tournament |
Awards
- Most Valuable Player
- Top Goalscorer
- Akram Afif (8 goals)[1]
- Best Goalkeeper
- Fair Play Award
- Team of the Tournament
- Goal of the Tournament
Tournament rankings
| Ranking criteria |
|---|
For teams eliminated in the same knockout round, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[40]
For teams eliminated in the group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[40]
|
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Qatar |
7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 19 | Winners |
| 2 | E | Jordan |
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 13 | Runners-up |
| 3 | C | Iran |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 13[a] | Eliminated in the semi-finals |
| 4 | E | South Korea |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 9[a] | |
| 5 | B | Uzbekistan |
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9[b] | Eliminated in the quarter-finals |
| 6 | B | Australia |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 10[b] | |
| 7 | D | Japan |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 9[b] | |
| 8 | A | Tajikistan |
5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 5[b] | |
| 9 | F | Saudi Arabia |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 8[c] | Eliminated in the round of 16 |
| 10 | C | United Arab Emirates |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 5[c] | |
| 11 | B | Syria |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5[c] | |
| 12 | D | Iraq |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9[c] | |
| 13 | F | Thailand |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5[c] | |
| 14 | C | Palestine |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 4[c] | |
| 15 | E | Bahrain |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 6[c] | |
| 16 | D | Indonesia |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 3[c] | |
| 17 | F | Oman |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | Eliminated in the group stage |
| 18 | A | China |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 2 | |
| 19 | A | Lebanon |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1[d] | |
| 20 | F | Kyrgyzstan |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1[d] | |
| 21 | E | Malaysia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | |
| 22 | D | Vietnam |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 0 | |
| 23 | C | Hong Kong |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | |
| 24 | B | India |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
Notes:
- Goal difference in semi-finals: Iran –1, South Korea –2
- Goal difference in quarter-finals: Uzbekistan 0, Australia –1, Japan –1, Tajikistan –1; Goals scored in quarter-finals: Australia 1, Japan 1, Tajikistan 0; Goal difference in round of 16: Australia +4, Japan +2
- Goal difference in round of 16: Saudi Arabia 0, United Arab Emirates 0, Syria 0, Iraq –1, Thailand –1, Palestine –1, Bahrain –2, Indonesia –4; Goals scored in round of 16: Saudi Arabia 1, United Arab Emirates 1, Syria 1, Iraq 2, Thailand 1, Palestine 1; Points in group stage: Saudi Arabia 7, United Arab Emirates 4, Syria 4, Thailand 5, Palestine 4; Goal difference in group stage: United Arab Emirates +1, Syria 0
- Disciplinary points: Lebanon 4, Kyrgyzstan 12
Marketing
Logo and slogan
The official logo and TV opening of the tournament were launched during the final draw on 11 May 2023. The logo featured a silhouette of the AFC Asian Cup trophy, with the trophy lines inspired from feathers of a falcon and petals of the lotus flower. The top of the logo was colored in Qatar's national color, maroon, while the logo's tail featured an Arabic nuqta.[42]
The tournament's slogan, "Hayya Asia", translating to "Let's go Asia!", was revealed on 5 October 2023 in an event to mark 100 days until the tournament.[43]
Match ball
The official match ball, the VORTEXAC23 made by Kelme, was unveiled on 10 August 2023. The ball's design "incorporates Qatar’s maroon colours, echoing the nation’s identity, and mirrors the championship’s emblem at its centre." Technical assessments rigorously tested the ball's performance, ensuring its durability, quality, and readiness.[44]
On 20 December 2023, the official match ball of the final, the VORTEXAC23+, was revealed. The ball built on the design of the VORTEXAC23 and used a predominantly gold and maroon colour scheme "to reflect the prestige of competing for the AFC Asian Cup title."[45]
Official song
The official song of the tournament, "Hadaf" by Humood AlKhudher and Fahad Al Hajjaji, was released on 1 January 2024.[46][47]
Mascots
On 2 December 2023, the tournament's official mascots were unveiled at Barahat Msheireb, Doha, through an anime-inspired animation produced by Katara Studios. The mascots were a family of five jerboas named Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh, who were also the mascots of the 2011 edition when Qatar last hosted the tournament. The mascots were created by Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed, with the animation directed by Fahad Al Kuwari and the song performed by Qatari artist Dana Al Meer and singer/composer Tarek Al Arabi Tourgane. Four of the five mascots were named after locations in Qatar, while Saboog was derived from the term used to refer to a jerboa in Qatar. The mascots were each created with different characteristics, akin to the different roles players undertake during a football match, and made to resemble a traditional household in Qatar.[48][49]
Official video game
On 11 January 2024, Konami released a short trailer of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup game mode, and announced that it would be added to the latest release of its football video game series, eFootball 2024, in the upcoming updates. This mode features fully licensed tournament teams, licensed trophy and visuals.[50]
eSports tournament
On 8 December 2023, the AFC announced that it would unveil the inaugural edition of AFC eAsian Cup, which was held from 1 to 5 February 2024. This eSports tournament was played on Konami's football video game - eFootball 2024. It marked the confederation's first foray into the world of eSports. Taking place at the Virtuocity eSports Arena in Doha, the event featured participants from twenty AFC member associations, who were competing in the Asian Cup.[51][52][53]
On 6 February 2024, Indonesia won the first ever AFC eAsian Cup, winning 2–0 against Japan in the final.[54]
Ticket sales
The first batch of tickets for the tournament, with more than 150,000 tickets, were sold out in just a week, since sales began on 10 October 2023.[55] Another 90,000 tickets of the second batch were sold within the first 24 hours of being released on 19 November 2023. Fans from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Indonesia and India bought the majority of tickets offered. In addition to the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon, the match between Saudi Arabia and Oman also led ticket sales.[56]
Prices for match tickets started from as low as QAR 25 (approximately US$6.8) to enable greater access for the millions of fans.[57]
On 20 November 2023, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament announced that it would donate revenue from ticket sales to support emergency relief for Palestine, amidst the ongoing Gaza war.[58][59]
On 10 January 2024, the LOC announced that nearly one million tickets had been sold for the tournament.[60]
Ahead of the semi-final clash between Qatar and Iran, the Iranian federation complained of only 4 percent of the seats having been allocated to Iranian supporters, even though AFC regulations stated 8 percent needed to be allocated.[61]
Prize money
Total prize money pool for the tournament was US$14,800,000, the same as it was in the 2019 edition. The champions received US$5 million, the runners-up received US$3 million, and the losing semi-finalists received US$1 million each. All 24 teams also received US$200,000 for their participation in the tournament.[62][63]
Sponsorship
- Official Global Partners
- Continental AG[64]
- Credit Saison[65]
- Neom[66]
- Qatar Airways[67]
- Visit Saudi[68]
- Yili Group[69] (Joyday, Cremo Thailand, Ambpoeial Yili, Inikin Yili)
- Official Global Supporters
- Official Regional Partner
- KDDI Au (Japan)[72]
- Kirin (Japan)
- Pepperstone (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam)[73]
- Visa (West Asia)[74]
- Official Hospitality Provider
- MATCH Hospitality (Asia)[75]
Official Video and Data Distribution Partner
Broadcasting rights
The broadcasters around the world that acquired the rights to the tournament included:
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