2022 World Cup hosts Qatar return to the footballing spotlight and will stage the event. They are also the defending champions of the quadrennial competition. The tournament was originally scheduled for mid-2023 but was postponed due to climactic reasons, hence why it is branded: the 2023 Asian Cup.
The 24 participants are split into six groups of four with the group winners, runners-up and four best third-placed teams progressing to the knock-out stage.
Historically, the Asian Cup, and football generally in Asia, has been dominated by the big four: Japan (four titles), Iran (three titles), Saudi Arabia (three titles), and South Korea (two titles).
Aside from those nations, Israel (who left the AFC for UEFA in 1994), Australia (who joined the AFC in 2006), Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar have each won one Asian Cup title. No other team has won it.
Below is a group-by-group guide to the fixtures, starting with January 12th’s opener and ending with the final on February 10th.
Follow all the action from Qatar on Flashcore.
Group A
Participants: Qatar, China, Lebanon, Tajikistan
Fixtures:
January 12th
January 13th
China vs Tajikistan - 14:30 GMT
January 17th
Tajikistan vs Qatar - 14:30 GMT
January 22nd
Tajikistan vs Lebanon - 15:00 GMT
Group B
Participants: Uzbekistan, Australia, Syria, India
Fixtures:
January 13th
Australia vs India - 11:30 GMT
Uzbekistan vs Syria - 17:30 GMT
January 18th
Syria vs Australia - 11:30 GMT
India vs Uzbekistan - 14:30 GMT
January 23rd
Australia vs Uzbekistan - 11:30 GMT
Group C
Participants: United Arab Emirates, Iran, Hong Kong, Palestine
Fixtures:
January 14th
United Arab Emirates vs Hong Kong - 14:30 GMT
January 18th
Palestine vs United Arab Emirates - 17:30 GMT
January 19th
January 23rd
Iran vs United Arab Emirates - 15:00 GMT
Hong Kong vs Palestine - 15:00 GMT
Group D
Participants: Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Iraq
Fixtures:
January 14th
January 15th
January 19th
Vietnam vs Indonesia - 14:30 GMT
January 24th
Japan vs Indonesia - 11:30 GMT
Group E
Participants: Bahrain, South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan
Fixtures:
January 15th
South Korea vs Bahrain - 11:30 GMT
Malaysia vs Jordan - 17:30 GMT
January 20th
Jordan vs South Korea - 11:30 GMT
Bahrain vs Malaysia - 14:30 GMT
January 25th
South Korea vs Malaysia - 11:30 GMT
Group F
Participants: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Oman, Kyrgyzstan
Fixtures:
January 16th
Thailand vs Kyrgyzstan - 14:30 GMT
Saudi Arabia vs Oman - 17:30 GMT
January 21st
Kyrgyzstan vs Saudi Arabia - 17:30 GMT
January 25th
Saudi Arabia vs Thailand - 15:00 GMT
Kyrgyzstan vs Oman - 15:00 GMT
Round of 16
January 28th
Winner Group B vs Third-place Group A/C/D
Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group C
January 29th
Winner Group D vs Third-place Group B/E/F
Winner Group A vs Third-place Group C/D/E
January 30th
Runner-up Group B vs Runner-up Group F
Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group E
January 31st
Winner Group E vs Runner-up Group D
Winner Group C vs Third-place Group A/B/F
Quarter-finals
February 2nd
First quarter-final
Second quarter-final
February 3rd
Third quarter-final
Fourth quarter-final
Semi-finals
February 6th
Winner Q1 vs Winner Q2
February 7th
Winner Q3 vs Winner Q4
Final
February 10th
Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
