AFC Asian Cup 2023

As many as 10 teams were led by different coaches when the first two matchdays were played last November.

The nine group winners and the respective runners-up will advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, and at the same time seal their places at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

The other 18 teams from Round 2 will proceed directly to the third and final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifying.

The-AFC.com brings you up to speed with how the groups stand ahead of Thursday's Matchday Three.

The Central Asian side advanced to the quarter-finals at Qatar 2023 before losing on penalties to the hosts.

Head coach Srecko Katanec, in a recent interview with the-AFC.com, said he is looking forward to the Qualifiers with Uzbekistan to play a double-header against Hong Kong, China with the Slovenian having called up 20 of the 26 players from the AFC Asian Cup squad.

The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced Al Haydos' decision on Saturday, bringing down the curtain on a 16-year career highlighted by back-to-back AFC Asian Cup victories.

Al Haydos is the most capped player for Qatar with 182 appearances, scoring 41 times.

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.

Hwang, who is also the head coach of Korea Republic's U23 side, replaces German Jurgen Klinsmann.

The 62-year-old Spaniard signed the contract on Friday, having steered Qatar's successful defence of their AFC Asian Cup™ title earlier this month.

The Croatian replaces Aleksandar Jankovic, with the Serbian having been in charge of China PR at the recent AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™.

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.

In preparation for the 18th edition of the Confederation's premier men’s national team competition, the members of the medical team underwent thorough training in order to acquaint themselves with all the groundbreaking medical innovations that were introduced for the first time, such as the use of medical tablets and the implementation of paperless doping control measures.

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.

Spaniard Pizzi took over the role vacated by Helio Sousa after the end of his contract in July 2023 and was in charge of Bahrain at the recent AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™.

The Korea Football Association made the announcement on Friday following a two-and-a-half hour meeting at their headquarters in Seoul, which was led by KFA president Chung Mong-gyu.

There were several standout performers in another historic chapter of Asia’s most prestigious competition as we break down the statistics to review some of the key categories and those who excelled in them.

Akram Afif was Qatar’s hero as his hat-trick of penalties defeated the tournament’s surprise package Jordan 3-1 and won the Maroons their second AFC Asian Cup title in front of more than 86,000 fans at Lusail Stadium.

As the dust begins to settle on another glorious campaign for Qatar, the-AFC.com reviews a memorable final by taking a closer look at some of the key facts and stats that caught the eye.

The hosts produced a dominant display from start to finish with Akram Afif netting a hat-trick of penalties to seal the victory at a packed Lusail Stadium, a victory which meant back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles for Qatar.

Having gatecrashed the final with a series of scintillating performances, Jordan could produce only some of the form that had taken them within one match of winning the title as Qatar powered to their second successive title with a 3-1 win.