Qatar is preparing to host another football spectacle – the 2023 Asian Cup – with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) recently announcing that eight of country’s world class venues will play host to continent’s flagship national teams’ tournament. The confirmation of the schedule of the premier event that will be played from January 12 to February 10, 2024 has excited fans across Asia, who will witness top 24 nations compete for glory.
Six of the eight stadiums announced to stage the tournament hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 dubbed the best ever edition of the football showpiece. These include Al Janoub Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Education City Stadium and Khalifa International Stadium while Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium are the other two venues named for the tournament.
Last year, Qatar organised the historic FIFA World Cup – the first football showpiece to be held in the Middle East and the Arab world and the most compact in tournament’s modern history – with huge success hosting over a million of touring fans during the 29-day fiesta.
It will be the third time that Qatar will stage the Asian Cup, having hosted the tournament back in 1988 and 2011. But the next year’s event is expected to be unique. “We know that the Local Organising Committee and the Qatar Football Association will stage a true spectacle never before experienced in Asian football history,” AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement recently.
It will be lengthy tournament than the previous edition in the UAE as it will continue for 30 days, two more than the 2019 tournament, enhancing the experience for Asian fans. The AFC has also confirmed that the official draw ceremony for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will be held at the world-renowned Katara Opera House in Doha on May 11.
Being the hosts and the defending champions after winning the maiden crown in the UAE in 2019, fans will have high expectations from Qatar, who are now under seasoned coach Carlos Queiroz.
On Friday, the football body confirmed seeding for the Final Draw following the release of the latest FIFA World Ranking. Hosts Qatar have been allocated the first position in Pot 1 along with four-time winners Japan, three-time champions the Islamic Republic of Iran, two-time winners Korea Republic, 2015 champions Australia and Saudi Arabia who will be aiming to claim their fourth Continental crown. The official match schedule is expected to be announced shortly after the draw following which the Asian footballers will experience top class facilities like the global stars relished during the World Cup.
