كأس آسيا 2023

The tears in Neil Etheridge’s eyes told the story, six years ago, of what it meant to the Philippines to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup™ Finals; victory over Tajikistan took the nation to the tournament for the first time and the emotion streaked the goalkeeper’s face.

For a country that has historically occupied a position of significance within the continental game – it featured in the first international played on Asian soil in 1913 and was the first home of the Asian Football Confederation - the Philippines’ on-field record is underwhelming.

On a riveting showdown of qualifying action, China PR, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Kuwait and Kyrgyz Republic joined Matchday Five qualifiers’ Bahrain, Jordan, Korea Republic, Oman, Palestine and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after Australia, Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan had earlier confirmed their spots after Matchday Four in March this year.

The thrilling match was tied 2-2 with Pham Tuan Tai emerging Vietnam’s hero with the winning goal in the fifth minute of added time to keep his team in the running for a top two spot, with Kim praising his clinical forwards and general mood in the squad.

The three winners from the match-ups will join Bhutan, Maldives and Laos, who punched their tickets to the Qualifiers Final Round as the three best-ranked losing teams from the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1, alongside 18 teams (all third and fourth-placed teams from across nine groups) from Round 2.

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Macau, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste will be paired in a matchup of the six lowest-ranked losing teams from the FIFA World Cup 2026 – Preliminary Competition and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 with home and away encounters scheduled for September 5 (first leg) and September 10 (second leg).

The AS Roma player, currently on loan at Cagliari, missed the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ through injury but is available again to give Srecko Katanec more attacking options.

Having collected four points from their opening two matches, head coach Katanec is determined for Uzbekistan to collect maximum points from their double header with Hong Kong, China.

This impressive mark obliterates the previous record of 890 million impressions that was set during the 2019 tournament in the United Arab Emirates by almost nine times and only serves to further underline the remarkable support showcased by the Continent’s passionate football audience.

With dramatic late winners, notable upsets, fabulous goals and unique celebrations, the competition delivered the goods in emphatic fashion as hosts Qatar ultimately defended their title to be crowned champions after a 3-1 win over Jordan in the final.

Looking back at the tournament, the-AFC.com has selected eight of the best Visit Saudi Magic Moments and asks you, the fans, to vote for the favourite at the bottom of this article.

Fans of Asian football witnessed wonderful assists leading to memorable goals and in this segment, the-AFC.com asks you, the fans, to vote for your favourite assist at the foot of the article.

A total of 132 goals were scored in 51 matches across the country at a ratio of 2.59 per match. The-AFC.com selects eight of the finest strikes from the tournament and asks you, the fans, to vote for your favourite at the foot of the article.

Segrt, who assumed the post in March 2022, took Tajikistan to historic highs by qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup™ for the first time and breaking into the top 100 of the FIFA World Ranking.

Tajikistan’s rise continued in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, where they advanced to the quarter-finals before losing 1-0 to Jordan in the quarter-finals.

After Qatar’s win over Jordan in the final saw the Maroons defend their title, the-AFC.com now looks back on the tournament and asks you, the fans, to determine the standout NEOM Future Star of the Tournament.

We’ve selected 10 nominees who delivered eye-catching performances throughout the AFC Asian Cup, so review the list and don’t forget to vote for your favourite NEOM Future Star at the bottom of the article.