The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be the 18th edition of the tournament. Qatar are the defending champions.
Initially, the tournament was supposed to be held in China. However, Chinese Football Association (CFA) has officially informed the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that they will not be able to host the 2023 AFC Asian Cup due to the Covid-19 pandemic currently ravishing China.
AFC is yet to decide the new hosts for the marquee tournament. The apex governing body of the Asian continent has stated that they would notify the same in due course.
How many teams will participate in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup?
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will feature 24 teams including the host. The host nation will qualify directly for the tournament, whereas 23 spots will be filled via qualifiers.
When will the 2023 AFC Asian Cup start?
The AFC 2023 Asian Cup will kick off on June 16. Whereas the final will be played a month later on July 16.
Which teams have qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup?
The Asian Cup qualifiers began on June 6, 2019, for the 23 available spots. After the first two rounds of qualifiers, 13 teams have already qualified for the tournament.
Team | Method of Qualification | Date of Qualification | Final Appearances | Last Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | Second Round Group F winners | May 28, 2021 | 10th appearance | 2019 | Winners (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) |
Syria | Second Round Group A winners | June 7, 2021 | 7th | 2019 | Group Stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011, 2016) |
Qatar | Second Round Group E winners | June 7, 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Winners (2019) |
South Korea | Second Round Group H winners | June 9, 2021 | 15th | 2019 | Winners (1956, 1960) |
Australia | Second Round Group B winners | June 11, 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Winners (2015) |
Iran | Second Round Group C winners | June 15, 2021 | 15th | 2019 | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) |
Saudi Arabia | Second Round Group D winners | June 15, 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Winners (1984, 1988, 1996) |
United Arab Emirates | Second Round Group G winners | June 15, 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Runners-up (1996) |
China | Second Round Group A runners-up | June 15, 2021 | 13th | 2019 | Runners-up (1984, 2004) |
Iraq | Second Round Group C runners-up | June 15, 2021 | 10th | 2019 | Winners (2007) |
Oman | Second Round Group E runners-up | June 15, 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Round of 16 (2019) |
Vietnam | Second Round Group G runners-up | June 15, 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Fourth Place (1956, 1960) |
Lebanon | Second Round Group H runners-up | June 15, 2021 | 3rd | 2019 | Group Stage (2000, 2019) |
Palestine | Third Round Group B winners | June 14, 2022 | 3rd | 2019 | Group Stage (2015, 2019) |
Uzbekistan | Third Round Group C winners | June 14, 2022 | 8th | 2019 | Fourth Place (2011) |
Thailand | Third Round Group C runners-up | June 14, 2022 | 8th | 2019 | (Third Place (1972) |
India | Third Round Group D winners | June 14, 2022 | 5th | 2019 | Runners-up (1964) |
Hong Kong | Third Round Group D runners-up | June 14, 2022 | 4th | 1968 | Third Place (1956) |
Tajikistan | Third Round Group F winners | June 14, 2022 | 1st | Debut | None |
Kyrgyzstan | Third Round Group F runners-up | June 14, 2022 | 2nd | 2019 | Round of 16 (2019) |
Bahrain | Third Round Group E winners | June 14, 2022 | 7th | 2019 | Fourth Place (2004) |
Malaysia | Third Round Group E runners-up | June 14, 2022 | 4th | 2007 | Group Stage (1976, 1980, 2007) |
Jordan | Third Round Group A winners | June 14, 2022 | 5th | 2019 | Quarter-finals (2004, 2011) |
Indonesia | Third Round Group A runners-up | June 14, 2022 | 5th | 2007 | Group Stage (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007) |
