The 2023 AFC Asian Cup kicks off in Qatar on January 12 with the hosts aiming to retain the title they won in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
The tournament will feature the majority of the same stadiums as used in Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but they will be looking to perform better on the continental stage after bowing out at the group stages of that FIFA tournament.
Traditional AFC Asian Cup superpower Japan are expected to be a major force in 2024, alongside former winners South Korea and Australia. With stars such as Son Heung-min and Wataru Endo on show, there is sure to be plenty of interest.
The Sporting News has the full details on the 2023 AFC Asian Cup including the format of the tournament, the fixture schedule, group standings, and all the important dates until the final in February.
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2023 AFC Asian Cup format
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup features 24 teams for the second successive tournament after opting for an expansion from 16 ahead of the 2019 edition.
The teams are split into six groups of four (A-F) with the top two teams from each mini league automatically qualifying for the Round of 16 knockout stage.
As that process only confirms 12 spots, the remaining four knockout places will be given to the best third-placed teams, as decided by the below tiebreaker criteria.
Total points over three group gamesGroup-stage goal differenceGroup-stage goals scoredLowest disciplinary points totalDrawing of lots
From the Round of 16 onwards, all matches are single-elimination knockout, with 30 minutes of extra time and penalties a possibility if scores are tied after 90 minutes of regulation.
The quarterfinals will be followed by two semifinals and a final, but there will be no third-place playoff.
2023 AFC Asian Cup fixtures, schedule, results, standings
The group stages were confirmed in May 2023 with hosts Qatar already pre-selected in Group A. The path through the knockout stages to the final is already confirmed and detailed below.
Results and table will be updated after each matchday from January 12.
Group A Team GP Win Draw Loss GS GA Points Qatar 0 0 0 0 0 0 China 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lebanon 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Jan. 12 Qatar vs. Lebanon Jan. 13 China vs. Tajikistan Jan. 17 Lebanon vs. China Jan. 17 Tajikistan vs. Qatar Jan. 22 Qatar vs. China Jan. 22 Tajikistan vs. LebanonGroup B Team GP Win Draw Loss GS GA Points Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 India 0 0 0 0 0 0 Syria 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Jan. 13 Australia vs. India Jan. 13 Uzbekistan vs. Syria Jan. 18 Syria vs. Australia Jan. 18 India vs. Uzbekistan Jan. 23 Australia vs. Uzbekistan Jan. 23 Syria vs. IndiaGroup C Team GP Win Draw Loss GS GA Points Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 UAE 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hong Kong 0 0 0 0 0 0 Palestine 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Jan. 14 UAE vs. Hong Kong Jan. 14 Iran vs. Palestine Jan. 18 Palestine vs. UAE Jan. 19 Hong Kong vs. Iran Jan. 23 Iran vs. UAE Jan. 23 Hong Kong vs. PalestineGroup D Team GP Win Draw Loss GS GA Points Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 Indonesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Iraq 0 0 0 0 0 0 Vietnam 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Jan.14 Japan vs. Vietnam Jan. 15 Indonesia vs. Iraq Jan. 19 Iraq vs. Japan Jan. 19 Vietnam vs. Indonesia Jan. 24 Japan vs. Indonesia Jan 24 Iraq vs. VietnamGroup E Team GP Win Draw Loss GS GA Points South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jordan 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bahrain 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Jan 15 South Korea vs. Bahrain Jan 15 Malaysia vs. Jordan Jan 20 Jordan vs. South Korea Jan 20 Bahrain vs. Malaysia Jan 25 South Korea vs. Malaysia Jan 25 Jordan vs. BahrainGroup F Team GP Win Draw Loss GS GA Points Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thailand 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oman 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Jan 16 Thailand vs. Kyrgyzstan Jan 16 Saudi Arabia vs. Oman Jan 21 Oman vs. Thailand Jan 21 Kyrgyzstan vs. Saudi Arabia Jan 25 Saudi Arabia vs. Thailand Jan 25 Kyrgyzstan vs. Oman
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2023 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage schedule
Round of 16 Match No. Date Fixture 37 Jan. 28 1st Group B vs. 3rd Group A/C/D 38 Jan. 28 2nd Group A vs. 2nd Group C 39 Jan. 29 1st Group D vs. 3rd Group B/E/F 40 Jan. 29 1 Group A vs. 3rd Group C/D/E 41 Jan. 30 2nd Group B vs. 2nd Group F 42 Jan. 30 1st Group F vs. 2nd Group E 43 Jan. 31 1st Group E vs. 2nd Group D 44 Jan. 31 1st Group C vs. 3rd Group A/B/FQuarterfinal Match No. Date Fixture QF. 1 Feb. 2 Winner of Match 38 vs. Winner of Match 39 QF. 2 Feb. 2 Winner of Match 37 vs. Winner of Match 42 QF. 3 Feb. 3 Winner of Match 44 vs. Winner of Match 43 QF. 4 Feb. 3 Winner of Match 40 vs. Winner of Match 41Semifinal Date Fixture Feb 6. Winner of QF 1 vs. Winner of QF 2 Feb 7. Winner of QF 3 vs. Winner of QF 4Final Date Fixture Feb 10. Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2