2023 AFC Asian Cup

2023 AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 كأس آسيا 2023
Tournament details
Host country	Qatar
Dates	12 January – 10 February 2024
Teams	24 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)	9 (in 5 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Qatar (2nd title)
Runners-up	Jordan
Tournament statistics
Matches played	51
Goals scored	132 (2.59 per match)
Attendance	1,507,790 (29,565 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Akram Afif (8 goals)
Best player(s)	Akram Afif[1]
Best goalkeeper	Meshaal Barsham[2]
Fair play award	Qatar
← 2019 2027 →

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 2019, with hosts Qatar the defending champions.^[3][4]

On 17 October 2022, the AFC announced that the tournament would be held in Qatar, replacing the original hosts China.^[5] Due to the high summer temperatures and Qatar's participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the tournament was postponed to 12 January – 10 February 2024, while retaining the original name for both existing sponsorship and logistical purposes.^[6][7] The 2023 tournament were the second of three consecutive Asian Cup to be held in Middle East, following the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates and preceding the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. This marked the first time a FIFA World Cup host nation hosts the AFC Asian Cup. Due to the one-year postponement, Qatar 2023 was the only tournament to have been held in an odd-numbered year since the 2007 edition.

Hosts and defending champions Qatar successfully retained their title, defeating Jordan 3–1 in the final.^[8]

China was acclaimed as the host country on 4 June 2019, as sole finishing bidder, days just prior to the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris, France.^[9] The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from 16 June to 16 July 2023.^[10] On 14 May 2022, the AFC announced that China would not host the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic and China's Zero-COVID policy.^[11] Due to China's relinquishment of its hosting rights,^[12][13] the AFC conducted a second round of bidding, with a deadline for submissions scheduled on 17 October 2022.^[14] Four nations submitted bids: Australia, Indonesia, Qatar, and South Korea.^[15] However, Australia subsequently withdrew in September 2022,^[16] as did Indonesia on 15 October.^[17] On 17 October, the AFC announced that Qatar had won the bid and would host the tournament.^[5]

Five host cities were submitted in the 2023 bid, including seven stadiums previously prepared for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 5 April 2023, the AFC announced the eight stadiums across four host cities for the tournament.^[18] On 21 August 2023, Lusail Stadium was added as a ninth venue.^[19] All but one (Stadium 974) of the host stadiums from the 2022 FIFA World Cup were selected for the tournament, along with Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, which hosted matches during the 2011 edition, and Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, which had not hosted any international tournament previously.

Lusail Stadium hosted the opening match on 12 January.^[19] Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan and Al Thumama Stadium in Doha hosted the semi-final matches, with Lusail hosted the final held on 10 February.^[19]

On 5 January 2024, the Main Media Centre for the coverage of the tournament was officially inaugurated in Msheireb Downtown Doha.^[20]

City	Stadium	Capacity
Al Khor	Al Bayt Stadium	68,890
Lusail	Lusail Stadium	88,960
Al Rayyan	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium	45,030
	Education City Stadium	44,660
	Jassim bin Hamad Stadium	15,000
	Khalifa International Stadium	45,850
Doha	Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium	10,000
	Al Thumama Stadium	44,400
Al Wakrah	Al Janoub Stadium	44,320

The first two rounds of qualification also served as the Asian qualification for the 2022 World Cup. Qatar, the host of the World Cup, participated only in the second round to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup (which they were later selected as hosts for after China withdrew its hosting rights).

Of the 24 teams appearing, 20 teams were returning after appearing in the 2019 edition.

Tajikistan were the only debutant in the competition, while Hong Kong marked their return for the first time in 56 years. Indonesia and Malaysia both qualified for the first time since hosting the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

Four nations from the previous edition failed to qualify (North Korea, Turkmenistan, Yemen, and the Philippines). India was the only SAFF representative in this edition, while it was the first time that five teams from the AFF managed to reach the finals (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam). Only two teams from WAFF failed to qualify for this tournament (Yemen and Kuwait). Iran meanwhile extended their qualification record; this was their fifteenth straight appearance in the tournament, having qualified for every edition since 1968.

Team	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	Finals appearance	Last appearance	Previous best performance
China	Original hosts and second round Group A runners-up	4 June 2019[a]	13th	2019	Runners-up (1984, 2004)
Japan	Second round Group F winners	28 May 2021	10th	2019	Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)
Syria	Second round Group A winners	7 June 2021	7th	2019	Group stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011, 2019)
Qatar	Second round Group E winners, later appointed hosts	7 June 2021	11th	2019	Winners (2019)
South Korea	Second round Group H winners	9 June 2021	15th	2019	Winners (1956, 1960)
Australia	Second round Group B winners	11 June 2021	5th	2019	Winners (2015)
Iran	Second round Group C winners	15 June 2021	15th	2019	Winners (1968, 1972, 1976)
Saudi Arabia	Second round Group D winners	15 June 2021	11th	2019	Winners (1984, 1988, 1996)
United Arab Emirates	Second round Group G winners	15 June 2021	11th	2019	Runners-up (1996)
Iraq	Second round Group C runners-up	15 June 2021	10th	2019	Winners (2007)
Oman	Second round Group E runners-up	15 June 2021	5th	2019	Round of 16 (2019)
Vietnam	Second round Group G runners-up	15 June 2021	5th	2019	Fourth place (1956,[b] 1960[b])
Lebanon	Second round Group H runners-up	15 June 2021	3rd	2019	Group stage (2000, 2019)
Palestine	Third round Group B winners	14 June 2022	3rd	2019	Group stage (2015, 2019)
Uzbekistan	Third round Group C winners	14 June 2022	8th	2019	Fourth place (2011)
Thailand	Third round Group C runners-up	14 June 2022	8th	2019	Third place (1972)
India	Third round Group D winners	14 June 2022	5th	2019	Runners-up (1964)
Hong Kong	Third round Group D runners-up	14 June 2022	4th	1968	Third place (1956)
Tajikistan	Third round Group F winners	14 June 2022	1st	Debut	None
Kyrgyzstan	Third round Group F runners-up	14 June 2022	2nd	2019	Round of 16 (2019)
Bahrain	Third round Group E winners	14 June 2022	7th	2019	Fourth place (2004)
Malaysia	Third round Group E runners-up	14 June 2022	4th	2007	Group stage (1976, 1980, 2007)
Jordan	Third round Group A winners	14 June 2022	5th	2019	Quarter-finals (2004, 2011)
Indonesia	Third round Group A runners-up	14 June 2022	5th	2007	Group stage (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007)

The draw was held at the Katara Opera House in Doha on 11 May 2023.^[21]

From the April 2023 FIFA World Rankings^[22]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Qatar (61) (hosts)  Japan (20)  Iran (24)  South Korea (27)  Australia (29)  Saudi Arabia (54)	Iraq (67)  United Arab Emirates (72)  Oman (73)  Uzbekistan (74)  China (81)  Jordan (84)	Bahrain (85)  Syria (90)  Palestine (93)  Vietnam (95)  Kyrgyzstan (96)  Lebanon (99)	India (101)  Tajikistan (109)  Thailand (114)  Malaysia (138)  Hong Kong (147)  Indonesia (149)

Teams were drawn into Groups A to F. For the first time in AFC Asian Cup history, the teams from lowest pots were drawn first but not assigned to the positions of their groups, following by number orders of the group stage, as in previous editions. Pot 1 teams were assigned to the first positions of their groups, while next the positions of all other teams were drawn separately from Pot 4 to 2 (for the purposes of determining the match schedules in each group).

The groups were confirmed following the draw:

Group A

Pos	Team
A1	Qatar
A2	China
A3	Tajikistan
A4	Lebanon

Group B

Pos	Team
B1	Australia
B2	Uzbekistan
B3	Syria
B4	India

Group C

Pos	Team
C1	Iran
C2	United Arab Emirates
C3	Hong Kong
C4	Palestine

Group D

Pos	Team
D1	Japan
D2	Indonesia
D3	Iraq
D4	Vietnam

Group E

Pos	Team
E1	South Korea
E2	Malaysia
E3	Jordan
E4	Bahrain

Group F

Pos	Team
F1	Saudi Arabia
F2	Thailand
F3	Kyrgyzstan
F4	Oman

Each team was required to registered a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom had to be goalkeepers.^[23] In December 2023, the maximum was increased to 26 players.^[24]

On 14 September 2023, the AFC announced the list of 33 referees, 37 assistant referees, two stand-by referees and eight stand-by assistant referees for the tournament, including two female referees and three female assistant referees. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was used for the entire tournament following its implementation from the quarter-final stage onwards in the 2019 edition.^[25][26] The Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) system, which utilized twelve specialized cameras and artificial intelligence, was also implemented at all 51 matches. This marked the first time that SAOT was in place at an AFC competition and made the AFC the first confederation to apply the system at the continental men's national team level.^[27]

Referees

Assistant referees

Stand-by referees

Stand-by assistant referees

The opening ceremony, named "The Lost Chapter of Kelileh o Demneh" took place at Lusail Stadium, before the opening game between Qatar and Lebanon on 12 January 2024.^[28][29]

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:^[23]

1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
5. Goal difference in all group matches;
6. Goals scored in all group matches;
7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they played each other in the last round of the group;
8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
9. Drawing of lots.

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Qatar (H)	3	3	0	0	5	0	+5	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Tajikistan	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
3	China	3	0	2	1	0	1	−1	2
4	Lebanon	3	0	1	2	1	5	−4	1

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Australia	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Uzbekistan	3	1	2	0	4	1	+3	5
3	Syria	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
4	India	3	0	0	3	0	6	−6	0

---

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iran	3	3	0	0	7	2	+5	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	United Arab Emirates	3	1	1	1	5	4	+1	4
3	Palestine	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
4	Hong Kong	3	0	0	3	1	7	−6	0

---

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iraq	3	3	0	0	8	4	+4	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Japan	3	2	0	1	8	5	+3	6
3	Indonesia	3	1	0	2	3	6	−3	3
4	Vietnam	3	0	0	3	4	8	−4	0

---

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Bahrain	3	2	0	1	3	3	0	6	Advance to knockout stage
2	South Korea	3	1	2	0	8	6	+2	5
3	Jordan	3	1	1	1	6	3	+3	4
4	Malaysia	3	0	1	2	3	8	−5	1

---

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Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Saudi Arabia	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Thailand	3	1	2	0	2	0	+2	5
3	Oman	3	0	2	1	2	3	−1	2
4	Kyrgyzstan	3	0	1	2	1	5	−4	1

---

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The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advanced to the knockout stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up.

Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	E	Jordan	3	1	1	1	6	3	+3	4	Advance to knockout stage
2	C	Palestine	3	1	1	1	5	5	0	4
3	B	Syria	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
4	D	Indonesia	3	1	0	2	3	6	−3	3
5	F	Oman	3	0	2	1	2	3	−1	2
6	A	China	3	0	2	1	0	1	−1	2

In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.

Round of 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

28 January – Al Rayyan (ABAS)

Tajikistan (p)

1 (5)

2 February – Al Rayyan (ABAS)

United Arab Emirates

1 (3)

Tajikistan

0

29 January – Al Rayyan (KIS)

Jordan

1

Iraq

2

6 February – Al Rayyan (ABAS)

Jordan

3

Jordan

2

28 January – Al Rayyan (JBHS)

South Korea

0

Australia

4

2 February – Al Wakrah

Indonesia

0

Australia

1

30 January – Al Rayyan (ECS)

South Korea (a.e.t.)

2

Saudi Arabia

1 (2)

10 February – Lusail

South Korea (p)

1 (4)

Jordan

1

31 January – Doha (ABKS)

Qatar

3

Iran (p)

1 (5)

3 February – Al Rayyan (ECS)

Syria

1 (3)

Iran

2

31 January – Doha (ATS)

Japan

1

Bahrain

1

7 February – Doha (ATS)

Japan

3

Iran

2

29 January – Al Khor

Qatar

3

Qatar

2

3 February – Al Khor

Palestine

1

Qatar (p)

1 (3)

30 January – Al Wakrah

Uzbekistan

1 (2)

Uzbekistan

2

Thailand

1

All times are local, AST (UTC+3).

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There were 132 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.59 goals per match.

8 goals

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: AFC

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:^[23][32]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions could be extended for serious offences)
• Receiving two yellow cards in two matches (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
• After reaching the semi-finals, all yellow cards and red cards received are reset. This means that even if a player receives a yellow card in the semi-finals, any previous cards won't count, allowing them to participate in the final

The following suspensions occurred during the tournament:

Player(s)/Official(s)	Offence(s)	Suspension(s)[33]
Hazza Ali	Positive doping sample after Group E match vs South Korea (matchday 1; 15 January 2024)[a]	Group E vs Jordan (matchday 3; 25 January 2024)[35]
Amadoni Kamolov	in Group A vs Qatar (matchday 2; 17 January 2024)	Group A vs Lebanon (matchday 3; 22 January 2024) Round of 16 vs United Arab Emirates (28 January 2024) Quarter-final vs Jordan (2 February 2024)
Pedro Miguel	in Group A vs Lebanon (matchday 1; 12 January 2024) in Group A vs Tajikistan (matchday 2; 17 January 2024)	Group A vs China (matchday 3; 22 January 2024)
Khalifa Al Hammadi	in Group C vs Palestine (matchday 2; 18 January 2024)	Group C vs Iran (matchday 3; 23 January 2024)
Paulo Bento (manager)	in Group C vs Palestine (matchday 2; 18 January 2024)[34]
Lê Phạm Thành Long	in Group D vs Indonesia (matchday 2; 19 January 2024)	Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 24 January 2024)
Theerathon Bunmathan	in Group F vs Kyrgyzstan (matchday 1; 16 January 2024) in Group F vs Oman (matchday 2; 21 January 2024)	Group F vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 3; 25 January 2024)
Ayzar Akmatov Kimi Merk	in Group F vs Saudi Arabia (matchday 2; 21 January 2024)	Group F vs Oman (matchday 3; 25 January 2024)
Kassem El Zein	in Group A vs Tajikistan (matchday 3; 22 January 2024)	Suspension served outside the tournament
Hossein Kanaanizadegan	in Group C vs Palestine (matchday 1; 14 January 2024) in Group C vs UAE (matchday 3; 23 January 2024)	Round of 16 vs Syria (31 January 2024)
Khuất Văn Khang	in Group D vs Iraq (matchday 3; 24 January 2024)	Suspension served outside the tournament
Aymen Hussein	in Round of 16 vs Jordan (29 January 2024)
Hamza Al-Dardour	in Round of 16 vs Iraq (29 January 2024)	Quarter-final vs Tajikistan (2 February 2024)
Nizar Al-Rashdan	in Group E vs Malaysia (matchday 1; 15 January 2024) in Round of 16 vs Iraq (29 January 2024)
Abdukodir Khusanov	in Group B vs Syria (matchday 1; 13 January 2024) in Round of 16 vs Thailand (30 January 2024)	Quarter-final vs Qatar (3 February 2024)
Mehdi Taremi	in Round of 16 vs Syria (31 January 2024)	Quarter-final vs Japan (3 February 2024)
Salem Al-Ajalin Ali Olwan	in Group E vs Bahrain (matchday 3; 25 January 2024) in Quarter-final vs Tajikistan (2 February 2024)	Semi-final vs South Korea (6 February 2024)
Kim Min-jae	in Group E vs Bahrain (matchday 1; 15 January 2024) in Quarter-final vs Australia (2 February 2024)	Semi-final vs Jordan (6 February 2024)
Aiden O'Neill	in Quarter-final vs South Korea (2 February 2024)	Suspension served outside the tournament
Khalid Muneer	in Group A vs China (matchday 3; 22 January 2024) in Quarter-final vs Uzbekistan (3 February 2024)	Semi-final vs Iran (7 February 2024)
Shojae Khalilzadeh	in Semi-final vs Qatar (7 February 2024)	Suspension served outside the tournament

Most Valuable Player

• Akram Afif^[1]

Top Goalscorer

• Akram Afif (8 goals)^[1]

Best Goalkeeper

• Meshaal Barsham^[2]

Fair Play Award

•  Qatar

Team of the Tournament

Presenters	Goalkeepers	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
Social networking service[36]	Meshaal Barsham	Abdallah Nasib Ali Al-Bulaihi Lucas Mendes	Mehdi Ghayedi Craig Goodwin Hassan Al-Haydos Lee Kang-in	Akram Afif Aymen Hussein Yazan Al-Naimat
Technical Study Group[37]	Meshaal Barsham Yazeed Abulaila Mathew Ryan	Yazan Al-Arab Aziz Behich Ihsan Haddad Vahdat Hanonov Kim Min-jae Lucas Mendes Abdallah Nasib	Hassan Al-Haydos Wataru Endō Saeid Ezatolahi Jackson Irvine Alireza Jahanbakhsh Ahmed Fatehi Abbosbek Fayzullaev	Akram Afif Almoez Ali Yazan Al-Naimat Sardar Azmoun Lee Kang-in Jaloliddin Masharipov Son Heung-min Musa Al-Taamari Mehdi Taremi

Goal of the Tournament

• Faisal Halim (against South Korea)^[38]

Ranking criteria

For teams eliminated in the same knockout round, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[39] Goal difference in round eliminated; Goals scored in round eliminated; If teams eliminated in the semi-finals or quarter-finals are tied, the above criteria are reapplied for the previous knockout round, with this process repeated once more should two semi-finalists remain tied; Points in group stage; Goal difference in group stage; Goals scored in group stage; Disciplinary points; Drawing of lots. For teams eliminated in the group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[39] Position in group; Points; Goal difference; Goals scored; Disciplinary points; Drawing of lots.

Pos.	Team	G	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	GF	GA	GD
1	Qatar	A	7	6	1	0	19	14	5	+9
2	Jordan	E	7	4	1	2	13	13	8	+5
Eliminated in the semi-finals
3	Iran	C	6	4	1	1	13	12	7	+5
4	South Korea	E	6	2	3	1	9	11	10	+1
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5	Uzbekistan	B	5	2	3	0	9	7	3	+4
6	Australia	B	5	3	1	1	10	9	3	+6
7	Japan	D	5	3	0	2	9	12	8	+4
8	Tajikistan	A	5	1	2	2	5	3	4	−1
Eliminated in the round of 16
9	Saudi Arabia	F	4	2	2	0	8	5	2	+3
10	United Arab Emirates	C	4	1	2	1	5	6	5	+1
11	Syria	B	4	1	2	1	5	2	2	0
12	Iraq	D	4	3	0	1	9	10	7	+3
13	Thailand	F	4	1	2	1	5	3	2	+1
14	Palestine	C	4	1	1	2	4	6	7	−1
15	Bahrain	E	4	2	0	2	6	4	6	−2
16	Indonesia	D	4	1	0	3	3	3	10	−7
Eliminated in the group stage
17	Oman	F	3	0	2	1	2	2	3	−1
18	China	A	3	0	2	1	2	0	1	−1
19	Lebanon	A	3	0	1	2	1	1	5	−4
20	Kyrgyzstan	F	3	0	1	2	1	1	5	−4
21	Malaysia	E	3	0	1	2	1	3	8	−5
22	Vietnam	D	3	0	0	3	0	4	8	−4
23	Hong Kong	C	3	0	0	3	0	1	7	−6
24	India	B	3	0	0	3	0	0	6	−6

Source: AFC^[40]

The official logo and TV opening of the tournament were launched during the final draw on 11 May 2023. The logo featured a silhouette of the AFC Asian Cup trophy, with the trophy lines inspired from feathers of a falcon and petals of the lotus flower. The top of the logo was colored in Qatar's national color, maroon, while the logo's tail featured an Arabic nuqta.^[41]

The tournament's slogan, "Hayya Asia", translating to "Let's go Asia!", was revealed on 5 October 2023 in an event to mark 100 days until the tournament.^[42]

The official match ball, the VORTEXAC23 made by Kelme, was unveiled on 10 August 2023. The ball's design "incorporates Qatar’s maroon colours, echoing the nation’s identity, and mirrors the championship’s emblem at its centre." Technical assessments rigorously tested the ball's performance, ensuring its durability, quality, and readiness.^[43]

On 20 December 2023, the official match ball of the final, the VORTEXAC23+, was revealed. The ball built on the design of the VORTEXAC23 and used a predominantly gold and maroon colour scheme "to reflect the prestige of competing for the AFC Asian Cup title."^[44]

The official song of the tournament, "Hadaf" by Humood AlKhudher and Fahad Al Hajjaji, was released on 1 January 2024.^[45][46]

On 2 December 2023, the tournament's official mascots were unveiled at Barahat Msheireb, Doha, through an anime-inspired animation produced by Katara Studios. The mascots were a family of five jerboas named Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh, who were also the mascots of the 2011 edition when Qatar last hosted the tournament. The mascots were created by Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed, with the animation directed by Fahad Al Kuwari and the song performed by Qatari artist Dana Al Meer and singer/composer Tarek Al Arabi Tourgane. Four of the five mascots were named after locations in Qatar, while Saboog was derived from the term used to refer to a jerboa in Qatar. The mascots were each created with different characteristics, akin to the different roles players undertake during a football match, and made to resemble a traditional household in Qatar.^[47][48]

On 11 January 2024, Konami released a short trailer of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup game mode, and announced that it would be added to the latest release of its football video game series, eFootball 2024, in the upcoming updates. This mode features fully licensed tournament teams, licensed trophy and visuals.^[49]

On 8 December 2023, the AFC announced that it would unveil the inaugural edition of AFC eAsian Cup, which was held from 1 to 5 February 2024. This eSports tournament was played on Konami's football video game - eFootball 2024. It marked the confederation's first foray into the world of eSports. Taking place at the Virtuocity eSports Arena in Doha, the event featured participants from twenty AFC member associations, who were competing in the Asian Cup.^[50][51][52]

On 6 February 2024, Indonesia won the first ever AFC eAsian Cup, winning 2–0 against Japan in the final.^[53]

The first batch of tickets for the tournament, with more than 150,000 tickets, were sold out in just a week, since sales began on 10 October 2023.^[54] Another 90,000 tickets of the second batch were sold within the first 24 hours of being released on 19 November 2023. Fans from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Indonesia and India bought the majority of tickets offered. In addition to the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon, the match between Saudi Arabia and Oman also led ticket sales.^[55]

Prices for match tickets started from as low as QAR 25 (approximately US$6.8) to enable greater access for the millions of fans.^[56]

On 20 November 2023, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament announced that it would donate revenue from ticket sales to support emergency relief for Palestine, amidst the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.^[57][58]

On 10 January 2024, the LOC announced that nearly one million tickets had been sold for the tournament.^[59]

Ahead of the semi-final clash between Qatar and Iran, the Iranian federation complained of only 4 percent of the seats having been allocated to Iranian supporters, even though AFC regulations stated 8 percent needed to be allocated.^[60]

Total prize money pool for the tournament was US$14,800,000, the same as it was in the 2019 edition. The champions received US$5 million, the runners-up received US$3 million, and the losing semi-finalists received US$1 million each. All 24 participating teams also received US$200,000 for their participation in the tournament.^[61][62]

Official Global Partners

• Continental AG^[63]
• Credit Saison^[64]
• Neom^[65]
• Qatar Airways^[66]
• Visit Saudi^[67]
• Yili Group^[68] (Joyday,Cremo Thailand,Ambpoeial Yili,Inikin Yili)

Official Global Supporters

• Kelme^[69]
• Konami (eFootball)^[70]

Official Regional Partner

• KDDI Au (Japan)^[71]
• Kirin (Japan)
• Pepperstone (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam)^[72]
• Visa (West Asia)^[73]

Official Hospitality Provider

• MATCH Hospitality (Asia)^[74]

Official Video and Data Distribution Partner

• Sportradar^[75]

The broadcasters around the world that acquired the rights to the tournament included:

Territory	Broadcaster(s)	Ref.
Argentina	TVP TyC Sports DSports	[76]
Armenia	TV Start	[77]
Australia	Paramount+,[a] Network 10[b]	[78]
Austria	Sportdigital	[79]
Azerbaijan	TV Start	[77]
Bangladesh	T Sports	[80]
Belarus	TV Start	[77]
Belgium	Triller TV	[81]
Bhutan	Football Sports Development Limited	[82]
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sport Klub	[83]
Brazil	ESPN	[84]
Bulgaria	Diema Sport	[83]
Balkans	Sport Klub	[85]
Cambodia	Hang Meas	[81][86]
Canada	Paramount+	[87]
Caribbean	ESPN	[84]
China	IQIYI Sports, Migu, CCTV	[81][88]
Croatia	Sport Klub	[83]
East Timor	MNC Media	[89]
Estonia	TV Start	[77]
Fiji	Mai TV	[81]
Finland	C More Sport	[90]
France	Triller TV	[81]
Georgia	Silk Sport	[81]
Germany	Sportdigital	[79]
Guam	Paramount+	[91]
Hong Kong	HOY TV	[92]
India	Sports18,[a] DD Sports,[c] JioCinema	[81]
Indonesia	MNC Media	[89]
In-flight/In-ship	Sport 24	[93]
Iraq	Alrabiaa	[94]
Ireland	Triller TV	[81]
Israel	Sport 5	[81]
Italy	OneFootball	[81]
Ivory Coast	RTI	[81]
Japan	DAZN,[a] TV Asahi[d]	[95][96]
Kazakhstan	Sport+	[81][97]
Kenya	Azam Sports	[81]
Kyrgyzstan	KTRK	[81]
Laos	KJSMWorld	[86]
Latin America	ESPN	[81][84]
Latvia	TV Start	[77]
Liechtenstein	Sportdigital	[79]
Lithuania	TV Start	[77]
Luxembourg	Sportdigital	[79]
Macau	M Plus Live	[98]
Malawi	Azam Sports	[81]
Malaysia	Astro SuperSport,[a] RTM[e]	[81][99]
Maldives	PSM	[100]
MENA	beIN Sports	[101][102]
Moldova	TV Start	[77]
Mongolia	Premier Sports	[103]
Montenegro	Sport Klub	[83]
Myanmar	Canal+	[104]
Nepal	Football Sports Development Limited	[82]
Netherlands	Triller TV	[81]
New Zealand	Paramount+	[91]
North Macedonia	Sport Klub	[83]
Northern Mariana Islands	Paramount+	[91]
Pacific Islands	YouTube (free)	[81]
Papua New Guinea	TV Wan	[105]
Portugal	Sport TV	[81]
Puerto Rico	Paramount+, CBS Sports	[87]
Qatar	Al Kass	[81]
Romania	Antena	[106]
Russia	TV Start	[77]
San Marino	OneFootball	[81]
Saudi Arabia	Shahid, SSC	[107][108]
Serbia	Sport Klub	[83]
Singapore	Mediacorp	[81]
Slovenia	Sport Klub	[83]
South Korea	Coupang, tvN SPORTS	[109][110]
Sri Lanka	Football Sports Development Limited	[82]
Sub-Saharan Africa	StarTimes	[81]
South America	ESPN	[111]
Sweden	C More Sport	[90]
Switzerland	Sportdigital	[79]
Taiwan	ELTA	[112]
Tajikistan	TV Varzish, TV Football	[81]
Tanzania	Azam Sports	[81]
Thailand	PPTV, T Sports 7	[113][114]
Turkey	D-Smart	[115]
Turkmenistan	Turkmenistan Sport	[81]
Uganda	Azam Sports	[81]
Ukraine	Sport1	[81]
United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi Media	[116]
United Kingdom	Triller TV	[81]
United States	Paramount+, CBS Sports; Spanish: Univision, UNIMAS, TUDN	[87]
United States Virgin Islands	Paramount+	[117]
Uzbekistan	MTRK	[81]
Vietnam	FPT, VTV	[118][119][120]
Vatican City	OneFootball	[121]
Zimbabwe	Azam Sports	[81]

• 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
• 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup
• 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup
• 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
• 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup

• Official website (the-AFC.com)