Doha, Qatar: All five previous champions booked their places in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 as the Qualifiers concluded yesterday.
Leading the charge were defending champions Saudi Arabia with Iraq (2013), Japan (2016), Uzbekistan (2018) and Korea Republic (2020) also advancing.
In a qualifying campaign filled with drama and excitement, Jordan topped Group A with a perfect nine points while Korea Republic emerged the Group B winners after victories over Kyrgyz Republic and Myanmar.
Vietnam, who had booked their spot in the Finals with a match to spare, ended their Group C campaign with seven points following a 2-2 draw with Singapore on Tuesday while Japan also had to be satisfied with a 0-0 stalemate with Bahrain as they topped Group D.
Uzbekistan ended their Group E challenge with a 1-0 win over Islamic Republic of Iran, concluding their campaign with three wins out of three while Iraq were the Group F winners, edging Kuwait on goal difference with both accumulating seven points.
The United Arab Emirates topped Group G ahead of China PR on goal difference with both teams finishing on four points while Thailand edged neighbours Malaysia 1-0 to win Group H with a perfect nine points.
Australia pipped Tajikistan to the Group I top spot after their clash yesterday ended 1-1, with both finishing on four points while Saudi Arabia produced a masterclass as they cruised 6-1 past Cambodia to finish their Group J challenge with nine points. Indonesia emerged as the Group K winners with a 2-0 defeat of Turkmenistan.
Joining the 11 group winners and hosts Qatar in the Finals were the four best second-placed teams - Kuwait (Group F), Tajikistan (Group I), China PR (Group G) and Malaysia (Group H).
The Finals are scheduled for April 15 to May 3, 2024.
