AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™: Tickets for grandest ever showpiece on sale now! Prices start as low as QAR 25

Tue, 10 Oct, 2023

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™: Tickets for grandest ever showpiece on sale now! Prices start as low as QAR 25

Kuala Lumpur: Tickets for the most eagerly anticipated Continental celebration of Asian football – the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ – are now available online for purchase. Following the historic group stage performance by Asian teams at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the focus of passionate fans across the globe will return to Qatar from 12 January to 10 February, 2024.

Spectators can book seats for any of the 51 matches that will take place in Qatar, which includes the opening and final matches at Lusail Stadium – an 88,000-seat venue that hosted the final match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

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Greatest AFC Asian Cup teams: IR Iran (1970s)

Mon, 09 Oct, 2023

Greatest AFC Asian Cup teams: IR Iran (1970s)

Kuala Lumpur: With the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ rapidly approaching, excitement is building for the 18th edition of the continental showpiece.

As the countdown gathers pace, the-AFC.com takes a look at several teams who were simply unstoppable in previous editions of the tournament, starting with Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Six Asian Games stars who could shine at Qatar 2023

Mon, 09 Oct, 2023

Six Asian Games stars who could shine at Qatar 2023

Hangzhou: Korea Republic retained the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games on Saturday as Hwang Sun-hong’s side handed Japan a 2-1 defeat to claim the country’s third consecutive title while also securing a record-extending sixth success at the event.

With the Asiad being held one year after it was originally scheduled due to a COVID-19 pandemic-enforced postponement, coaches were able to select players aged 24 years of age or under while also including three overage members in the squads.
 
Hwang’s team were the dominant force, seeing off hosts China PR and current AFC U20 Asian Cup holders Uzbekistan in the knockout rounds before goals from Jeong Woo-yeong and Cho Young-wook guided them to victory in the final at Huanglong Stadium.
 
With the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ on the horizon, the-AFC.com takes a look at the stand-out performers from the tournament in Hangzhou and those who could make an impact at the continental championship when it kicks off in January.

Road to 2026 set for kick-off in Asia

Tue, 10 Oct, 2023

Road to 2026 set for kick-off in Asia

Kuala Lumpur: The quest to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins for 20 Asian teams on Thursday, October 12, 2023 in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1.

Having been divided into 10 pairings at the official draw ceremony two months ago, these sides will play two-legged ties – one home and one away match, on October 12 and 17 respectively. The winners on aggregate of each pairing then proceed to Round 2, where they join the remaining 26 Member Associations to continue their campaign.

Japan dominate, new champions emerge

Sat, 07 Oct, 2023

Japan dominate, new champions emerge

Kuala Lumpur: East Asian nations had little success at the AFC Asian Cup™ in the aftermath of Korea Republic’s back-to-back title wins in the competition’s formative years. However, after a period of West Asian dominance, the tide was about to turn as Japan emerged as the continent’s dominant force.

Japan’s AFC Asian Cup win on home soil in 1992 might have come as a surprise, but on hindsight it proved to be a precursor of a period of superiority whose roots lay in the advent of professionalism in the east Asian nation and a remarkable attention to detail.
 
Until the early 1990s the Samurai Blue had been a minor player at the AFC Asian Cup but, with the arrival of the J.League in 1993 and the dawn of an era that brought with it rapid development at all levels, Japanese football was on the rise.