Latest update - Asian Cup Qatar 2023

The draw for the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 placed the Qatari national team in Group A along with China; Tajikistan; and Lebanon to kick off the tournament, hosted by Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, 2024.

This came during the draw ceremony, which was held at the Opera House in the Cultural Village (Katara) in presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino; AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and QFA President HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani along with AFC Executive Committee members, representatives of football continental federations and managers of the 24 participating teams.

The opening match will be between Qatar and Lebanon.

The 18th AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 draw placed Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria and India in Group B; Iran, UAE, Hong Kong and Palestine in Group C; Japan, Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam in Group D; South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain in Group E and Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and Oman in Group F.

Speaking ahead of the Official Draw Ceremony, Asian Football Confederation President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said, “The last time the AFC Asian Cup was played in Qatar was 12 years ago, and there has been great progress since then. We have also initiated key enhancements. There are 24 teams in the AFC Asian Cup now, a new trophy, and $15 million in prize money. The impact is clear to see. On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to express our gratitude to the QFA and the LOC, and we also thank the 24 participating nations. The stage is now set for a truly memorable chapter in the history of the tournament. We wish all the teams the very best.”

The third Qatari edition of the continental tournament will be exceptional, due to investing Qatar's legacy from the historic hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, being the first AFC Championship to be held on World Cup stadiums.

Qatar will be the first country to host the tournament three times in its history, having hosted two previous editions in 1988 and 2011, passing Iran, Thailand and the UAE, who had hosted the tournament twice before. This is the seventh time that the Asian Cup is being held in the West Asian region.

The host Qatari team was placed at the top of Group A, in order to ensure that they will play the opening match of the tournament.