Fixtures, location, dates, instances, the place to look at

We at the moment are simply a few months away from the 2024 Asian Cup; nicely, technically talking, it is the 2023 version of the competitors, however it’s being performed in 2024 to accommodate Qatar’s intense summer time warmth and involvement within the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Whether or not it is within the appropriate yr or not, this version guarantees to be the very best but, with a number of completely different groups vying to take the crown atop Qatar’s head.

Will Japan get their revenge, can Son Heung-min lead South Korea to glory, or will one of many Center Jap states win it near house?

With that in thoughts, Football FanCast has collected all the things you could possibly need to know forward of the event and put it into one helpful place, so you may be forward of the sport when all of it kicks off in January.

Asian Cup 2023 opening ceremony

As we mentioned, the primary sport of the 2023 version of the Asian Cup might be happening in January 2024, on twelfth January, to be precise.

The event’s opener will function the hosts, Qatar, taking over Lebanon, who hosted the event again in 2000 and might be making solely their third look within the finals.

Contemplating Qatar’s look on the World Cup and their event success in 2019, the hosts would be the agency favourites for this one.

Asian Cup 2023 last

The event’s showpiece occasion – the goal the gamers might be coaching onerous to succeed in and the explanation so many followers dream, is the ultimate.

The ultimate of the 2023 Asian Cup takes place on tenth February 2024, so nearly a month after all of it kicks off.

The sport might be held in Qatar’s Lusail Stadium, which was the venue that hosted the 2022 World Cup last between Argentina and France.

If the sport is something like that one, the followers might be in for an actual deal with.

Asian Cup 2023 hosts

The host for the newest instalment of the Asian Cup is the final version’s winner, Qatar. Easy sufficient, proper? Properly, no, probably not.

The unique host nation, introduced again in June 2019, was China. The Chinese language have been purported to host the event in the summertime of 2023.

Nonetheless, following the outbreak of the pandemic and the federal government’s extraordinarily strict coverage, the AFC announced that China would no longer host the competition.

A brand new spherical of bidding was opened, which noticed Australia, South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar all throw their hats within the ring. Nonetheless, the Australians and Indonesians quickly withdrew their submissions, and with simply two nations left, the AFC awarded the competition to Qatar.

Nonetheless, with the Center Jap state enduring sweltering summers, the competitors was subsequently moved to January, which additionally made house for them to enter the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The certified groups for the Asian Cup 2023

The Asian Cup will see 24 groups participate – 23 of whom needed to undergo qualifying to get there, whereas the hosts got an automated berth.

Apparently, whereas Qatar are set to host the 2023 version of the event, they weren’t introduced as such till summer time 2022, a full yr after they’d certified by way of the identical technique as everybody else.

China, who have been the unique hosts, additionally gained their place by way of the qualifiers as they have been not granted automated passage to the finals.

Nonetheless, the primary workforce to formally qualify for the finals was Japan, who did so in Might 2021 – useless easy, proper?

The ultimate workforce to safe their place in Qatar was Indonesia, who did so in June 2022.

The highest scorer in Asian Cup 2023 qualifying

The qualification for the Asian Cup is an extended and arduous course of, with the lower-ranked groups having to undergo an additional spherical of qualifying, whereas groups like South Korea and Japan enter the dialog within the second spherical.

The qualification course of started in June 2019 and concluded in June 2022, three years later. Granted, these qualifiers additionally resolve which nations progress within the World Cup qualifiers, and there was a worldwide pandemic halfway by way of, in order that’s fairly good going.

With so many video games happening, there are sometimes a good few gamers who find yourself with a wholesome objective haul on the finish of all of it.

The highest scorer on this version’s qualifiers was Ali Mabkhout, who discovered the again of the web 11 instances for the United Arab Emirates. Coming in second place was Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov with ten objectives.

Japan’s Takumi Minamino and Kuwait’s Yousef Nasser got here in because the joint-third-highest scorers with 9 every.

Asian Cup 2023 draw

The draw for the Asian Cup happened on eleventh Might 2023, and whereas the competitors’s seeding has meant that there are no big clashes within the group levels, there are nonetheless some intriguing video games for followers to get enthusiastic about.

For instance, the opening sport of the event ought to be an attention-grabbing one, as hosts Qatar tackle fellow Center Jap facet Lebanon, whereas Australia play India the next day.

Qatar’s third group sport ought to be a great watch in addition to they play the would-be hosts, China.

One advantage of the seeding, nonetheless, is that we might see some early giant-killings if we’re fortunate.

Premier League gamers going to the Asian Cup

Whereas the world’s focus might be on the groups as an entire on this event – correctly – we’re certain a good few of you can be searching in your facet’s gamers out in Qatar, so which Premier League gamers are heading to the Center East within the new yr?

Surprisingly, there are solely six gamers from the English top-flight who could also be concerned within the competitors, however they’re fairly vital ones.

Brentford should make do with out Saman Ghoddos as he flies out with Iran, whereas Wolverhampton Wanderers might be with out South Korea star Hwang Hee-chan.

Three Japanese gamers may very well be leaving these shores for a month: Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma and Liverpool’s Wataru Endo.

Nonetheless, it is in all probability Tottenham Hotspur who might be most impacted by the event as they should make do with out their captain, Son Heung-min, and he may very well be gone for longer than among the others given the energy of South Korea’s workforce.

Asian Cup champions

The reigning champions of the Asian Cup are the hosts for this version, Qatar.

The Center Jap state got here up towards event heavyweights Japan within the 2019 last, and whereas they’d been spectacular on their journey to the match, no person actually anticipated them to beat the Japanese; in any case, they’d by no means misplaced an Asian Cup last.

Nonetheless, two objectives within the first half gave the underdogs one thing to defend within the second. That mentioned, they really ended up including a 3rd within the second 45 due to a late penalty.

The sport ended 3-1, and Qatar received their first main honour in worldwide soccer.

Can they do it once more in 2024? ​​​​​​

The favourites for the Asian Cup

They could have misplaced the ultimate in 2019, and in a reasonably convincing method, however it’s onerous to look previous this Japan workforce in the meanwhile. The Samurai Blue have received all six of their latest video games, scoring 24 objectives and conceding simply 5 alongside the best way.

They have not been enjoying minnows, both – beating Germany, Canada and Peru by a scoreline of 4-1 whereas placing six previous El Salvador and beating Turkey 4-2.

South Korea can even head into the competitors filled with confidence, as with gamers like Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in, they’ll beat anybody on their day.

Australia will fancy their probabilities as nicely after a robust exhibiting on the Qatar World Cup, which noticed them make it out of the group and put up a good struggle towards Argentina within the spherical of 16.

Lastly, the hosts, Qatar, need to get a look-in as nicely. They have been capable of stun the world and raise the trophy away from house in 2019, so who’s to say they can not do it once more in entrance of their very own followers – and with the expertise of the World Cup behind them.

Probably the most profitable nation in Asian Cup historical past

Japan have received the Asian Cup greater than every other nation, with a genuinely spectacular 4 wins underneath their belts, and it in all probability ought to have been 5 have been it not for Qatar’s heroics 4 years in the past.

Their final triumph got here in 2011 when they beat Australia 1-0 in extra time courtesy of a Tadanari Lee goal.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are the second-most profitable nations within the Asian Cup, with each international locations claiming three titles. Iran’s most up-to-date success got here in 1976, whereas Saudi Arabia final received all of it in 1996.

The third-most embellished workforce in Asian Cup historical past is South Korea, though they have not received the trophy since 1960, so they’re actually due a win.

There are 5 international locations with one title to their identify.

Learn how to watch the Asian Cup on UK TV

Sadly, for followers within the UK, there are only a few choices for watching the AFC Asian Cup subsequent yr; in truth, as issues stand, there is just one.

In keeping with the official AFC web site, fans in the UK can watch the action on Triller’s subscription streaming service, FITE.

As we get nearer to the beginning of the event, extra choices may turn out to be out there, however as issues stand, you have to an account with FITE to look at the AFC Asian Cup.