AFC
Kuala Lumpur
Monday’s AFC Executive Committee decision to award the AFC Asian Cup 2023 hosting responsibility to Qatar Football Association (QFA) meant history was created.
Qatar will be the first country to host the Continental showpiece for a third time and all indications point to a fiesta of football when Asia’s best converge for the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
Having previously been tied with Islamic Republic of Iran, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates in having hosted the tournament twice, Qatar has promised the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will be a festival of football for the continent.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will be hosted on the strength of experience gained from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani promised aspectacular tournament.
“We believed that Asian football needed us to put forward our bid, especially since we are already prepared for the FIFA World Cup 2022. We hosted the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 which was a celebration for all Arabs, so we want to make the AFC Asian Cup 2023 a festival for all our friends throughout Asia,” said the QFA President following Monday’s decision.
It will surely be, with world class facilities already in place thanks to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which gets underway on November 20.
On the pitch, Qatar will be looking to defend the AFC Asian Cup title they lifted spectacularly in UAE 2019, with Felix Sanchez’s side playing fabulous football en route to winning the continental showpiece for the first time.
Qatar have gone from strength to strength since UAE 2019, with no effort spared in preparing the squad for their FIFA World Cup challenge and they will definitely be among the favourites for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.
Having not made the semi-finals when they hosted the 1988 and 2011 editions of the AFC Asian Cup, playing on home soil will also give Qatar the opportunity to become only the fourth team to win back-to-back titles, joining Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.
Korea Republic emerged champions in 1956 and 1960 while Iran went one better as they clinched a hat-trick of titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976.
Saudi Arabia won in 1984 and 1988 before reclaiming the coveted trophy in 1996. Japan emerged champions for the first time in 1992 and then went on to add the 2000, 2004 and 2011 titles.
With the cast of 24 teams already decided, will it be a former winner lifting the trophy again or will first time champions emerge in what will surely be a phenomenal AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.
