DOHA: The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has received several awards for a historic edition of the continental championship. Both Qatar Tourism and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognized the achievements made by Qatar in hosting the tournament earlier this year.
The LOC received two Qatar Tourism Awards for Premier Sports Events of the Year and Accessibility Initiative of the Year. The awards were presented to the LOC by Qatar Tourism and Visit Qatar Chairman Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona, and Regional Director (Middle East) Basma Al Mayman.
At the AFC Annual Awards, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) received the AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award for the tremendous role they played in delivering a memorable tournament. The Award was presented by Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, AFC President, to HE Jassim Rashid Al Buenain, QFA President.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023was hosted by Qatar in the beginning of 2024, having previously organized the competition twice before, in 1988 and 2011. The tournament, which saw Qatar defend its title on home soil, broke records for overall attendance, digital engagement and press coverage. A total of 86,492 spectators made their way to the iconic Lusail Stadium for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar2023 final. With that, a record-breaking attendance of 1,509,496 fans was registered for the tournament, surpassing the previous attendance record of 1.04 million set during the 2004 editionhosted by China.
The 2023 edition of the AFC Asian Cupattracted the widest television coverage in the history of the tournament, with matches broadcasted by 60 television networks from over 160 countriesworldwide. Additionally, more than 3,000 accredited media from 55 countries played a key role in sharing stories from the pitch with the rest of the world.
The tournament also broke digital engagement records across all LOC social media channels. More than 1.2 billion impressions were made, with over the 9.5 million engagements. This means a total reach of over 196 million, including more than 328 million video views. The tournament’s official website registered more than 8.8 million clicks during the tournament.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023offered unprecedented access to matches through the provision of fully accessible venues, the use of sensory rooms for people with sensory needs, including children with Autism, and audio descriptive commentary, which was available to blind and partially sighted fans in the Arabic language for the first time.
Held across nine stadiums, including seven that were previously used for Qatar 2022, the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023was the first tournament to be played on venues built for the FIFA World Cup. Qatar’s compact nature meant that fans and players alike were able to stay in one place of accommodation throughout the tournament. A modern road and public transportation system seamlessly transported fans.
At the heart of the tournament’s mobility plan was the Doha Metro. More than 6.22 million passengers made use of metro services throughout the tournament. Additionally, a total of 3,354 buses were used to shuttle 212,407 fans from stations to the stadiums as well as for the park and ride options. The fleet of buses also featured 300 electric buses in line with the LOC’s sustainability strategy.
