AFC Asian Cup 2023: Asia's quadrennial football spectacle, the AFC Asian Cup, is set to commence its 18th edition. Initially scheduled for 2023, the tournament was rescheduled to 2024 due to concerns over high summer temperatures and Qatar's involvement in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. After successfully hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar is now poised to defend their AFC Asian Cup title on their home turf. The opening match of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will feature hosts Qatar facing Lebanon on January 12 (Friday), at the Lusail Stadium. The Sunil Chhetri-led Indian football team are set to commence their 2024 season with a challenging match against the higher-ranked Australia in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 on January 13 (Saturday).
As the AFC Asian Cup 2023 is all set to kick off, let's delve into the details of the competition.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Overview:
Groups:
- Group A: Qatar, China, Tajikistan, Lebanon
- Group B: Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, India
- Group C: Iran, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Palestine
- Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam
- Group E: South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahrain
- Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Oman
Defending Champions:
- Hosts Qatar are the defending champions, having secured victory against Japan in the final of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Format:
- The AFC Asian Cup 2023 features 24 teams divided into six groups. Each group comprises four teams playing against each other once in the group stage. The top two teams from each group and the four best-ranked third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.
Venues:
- Matches will be hosted at nine stadiums: Lusail Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Education City Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, and Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Live Streaming and Telecast:
- Fans can catch the live telecast of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 matches on Sports18 Network’s TV channels in India. Additionally, for live streaming, they can access the JioCinema app and website.
Here are the details for watching AFC Asian Cup 2023 matches in Australia, the United States, and New Zealand:
Australia:
- Live Telecast: Network 10
- Live Stream: 10 play (free)
United States:
- Live Telecast: CBS and CBS Sports Network
- Live Stream: Paramount Plus, Fubo, YouTube TV (subscription-based)
New Zealand:
- Live Telecast: 12 Sky Sport and ESPN
- Live Stream: Sky Sport Now (subscription-based)
Schedule:
Group Stage:
- January 12:
- Qatar vs Lebanon
- Australia vs India
- PR China vs Tajikistan
- Uzbekistan vs Syria
- January 14:
- Japan vs Vietnam
- United Arab Emirates vs Hong Kong China
- Iran vs Palestine
- January 15:
- Korea Rep vs Bahrain
- Indonesia vs Iraq
- Malaysia vs Jordan
- January 16:
- Thailand vs Kyrgyzstan
- Saudi Arabia vs Oman
- January 17:
- Lebanon vs PR China
- Tajikistan vs Qatar
- January 18:
- Syria vs Australia
- India vs Uzbekistan
- Palestine vs United Arab Emirates
- January 19:
- Iraq vs Japan
- Vietnam vs Indonesia
- Hong Kong China vs Iran
- January 20:
- Jordan vs Korea Rep
- Bahrain vs Malaysia
- January 21:
- Oman vs Thailand
- Kyrgyzstan vs Saudi Arabia
- January 22:
- Qatar vs PR China
- Tajikistan vs Lebanon
- January 23:
- Australia vs Uzbekistan
- Syria vs India
- Iran vs United Arab Emirates
- Hong Kong China vs Palestine
- January 24:
- Japan vs Indonesia
- Iraq vs Vietnam
- January 25:
- Korea Rep vs Malaysia
- Jordan vs Bahrain
- Saudi Arabia vs Thailand
- Kyrgyzstan vs Oman
Round of 16:
- January 28:
- Match 37: Winner Group B vs Third-placed Group A/C/D
- Match 38: Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group C
- January 29:
- Match 39: Winner Group D vs Third-place Group B/E/F
- Match 40: Winner Group A vs Third-place C/D/E
Quarter-final:
- February 2:
- Match 45: Winner – Match 38 vs Winner – Match 39
- Match 37: Winner – Match 37 vs Winner – Match 42
- February 3:
- Match 47: Winner – Match 44 vs Winner – Match 43
- Match 48: Winner – Match 40 vs Winner – Match 41
Semi-final:
- February 6: 1st semi-final
- February 7: 2nd semi-final
Final:
- February 10