The draw saw hosts and defending champions Qatar with China, Lebanon and Tajikistan in Group A, where the opening match will be between Al Annabi and the Chinese national team on January 12 2024.
The third group represented a long-awaited meeting between the UAE and Iran, and with them in the Palestine and Hong Kong group.
Group six will see an upcoming ‘Gulf derby’, between Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, as well as Thailand and Kyrgyzstan.
The Iraqi team faced a tough challenge against Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
While the fifth group was considered “iron”, as it included Jordan and Bahrain, as well as South Korea and Malaysia.
Tournament date
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup kicks off on January 12 next year with Doha hosting the final match on February 10.
Qatar will host the tournament with 8 stadiums, 7 of which hosted the World Cup matches at the end of last year.
Tournament system
The tournament will be held in the group system, where the first and second place holders of each group will qualify, in addition to the best third place teams, so that the number of 16 qualifiers.
Then come the round of 16, then the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final.
Arab participation
It should be noted that the tournament includes 10 Arab teams, out of 24, which is less than the number of 11 teams participating in the previous edition in the UAE.
The six groups:
first group
Qatar China Lebanon Tajikistan
the second group
Australia Uzbekistan Syria India
The third group
Iran Emirates Palestine Hong Kong
Fourth group
Japan Iraq Vietnam Indonesia
Fifth group
South Korea, Jordan, Bahrain, Malaysia
Sixth group
Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand
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