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66-505: On 4 January 2020, Workers' Stadium was announced as a host venue for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup . After finishing the 2019 season , Beijing Guoan moved its home stadium the Beijing Fengtai Stadium for three years while renovations ahead of the tournament took place. The engineering firm of the rebuild project is Beijing Construction Engineering Group . However, on 14 May 2022, AFC announced that China would not be able to host

132-549: A 10-day shutdown effective from 26 March to 4 April to fight the spread of coronavirus. Bangladesh on Wednesday reported the fifth death from the coronavirus though no new case of the infection came out in the last 24 hours as the country suspended all domestic flights, trains and public transport to fight the pandemic. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has confirmed that one more person has died of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in Bangladesh, taking

198-514: A 29-year-old Armenian citizen had returned from Iran and was confirmed positive for the virus. His wife was tested and results came in negative. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that he is "now in good condition". About 30 people who came in contact with him are being tested and will be quarantined. Armenia had earlier closed its border with Iran. As of 15 March there are 23 confirmed cases with over 300 being in quarantine. On 23 March, it confirmed 23 cases. On 28 February, Azerbaijan confirmed

264-640: A 30-year-old Chinese national who had previously travelled to Wuhan, developed a fever on 3 January, and returned to Japan on 6 January. He was a resident of the Kanagawa prefecture The first mass infection was confirmed on a cruise ship returning to Japan, with 713 cases and 13 deaths. The cruise ship left Yokohama on 20 January 2020 and called at Kagoshima, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan and Okinawa before returning to Yokohama on 3 February. Since then, there have been 6 peaks of infection and death in Japan by February 2022, with

330-646: A draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings: The four best third-placed teams from the six groups advanced to the knockout stage along with the six group winners and six runners-up. In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. All times are local, AST ( UTC+3 ). There were 132 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 2.59 goals per match. 8 goals 6 goals 4 goals 3 goals 2 goals 1 goal 1 own goal Source: AFC A player

396-494: A family of five jerboas named Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh, who were also the mascots of the 2011 edition when Qatar last hosted the tournament. The mascots were created by Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed, with the animation directed by Fahad Al Kuwari and the song performed by Qatari artist Dana Al Meer and singer/composer Tarek Al Arabi Tourgane . Four of the five mascots were named after locations in Qatar, while Saboog

462-540: A new wave of cases; however, protests erupted in cities across China over the country's stringent measures, and in December that year, the country relaxed its zero-COVID policy. On 20 December 2022, the Chinese State Council narrowed its definition of what would be counted as a COVID-19 death to include solely respiratory failure, which led to skepticism by health experts of the government's total death count at

528-492: A silhouette of the AFC Asian Cup trophy, with the trophy lines inspired from feathers of a falcon and petals of the lotus flower . The top of the logo was colored in Qatar's national color, maroon, while the logo's tail featured an Arabic nuqta . The tournament's slogan, "Hayya Asia", translating to "Let's go Asia!", was revealed on 5 October 2023 in an event to mark 100 days until the tournament. The official match ball,

594-603: A time when hospitals reported being overwhelmed with cases following the abrupt discontinuation of zero-COVID. On 29 December 2022, the U.S. joined Italy, Japan, Taiwan and India in requiring negative COVID-19 test results from all people traveling from China due to the new surge in cases. The European Union initially refused similar measures, stating that the BF7 omicron variant had already spread throughout Europe without becoming dominant, but changed its stance following an emergency meeting of EU diplomats on 4 January 2023. On 8 March,

660-624: Is located in Beijing's Chaoyang district. It occupies the block bounded by Gongrentiyuchang North, East, South, and West Road. It is across the street from the Workers' Indoor Arena and is near the Sanlitun business area. The stadium is accessible by the Beijing subway , with Workers' Stadium station serving the location on Line 17 , having opened on 30 December 2023. In 2024, Line 3 will open and also serve

726-453: Is transportation between cities; public parks are closed. The first case in the country was confirmed on 22 February. On 21 February, Israel confirmed the first case of COVID-19. On 20 March, the first confirmed death in Israel was reported. As of 9 August, there are a total of 82,324 confirmed cases, with 57,071 recovered and 593 deaths. 16 January 2020, the first case was confirmed in

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792-678: The 2011 edition, and Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium , which had not hosted any international tournament previously. Lusail Stadium hosted the opening match on 12 January. Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan and Al Thumama Stadium in Doha hosted the semi-final matches, with Lusail hosted the final held on 10 February. On 5 January 2024, the Main Media Centre for the coverage of the tournament

858-541: The 2019 AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates and preceding the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia . This marked the first time a FIFA World Cup host nation hosts the AFC Asian Cup. Due to the one-year postponement, Qatar 2023 was the only tournament to have been held in an odd-numbered year since the 2007 edition . Hosts and defending champions Qatar successfully retained their title, defeating Jordan 3–1 in

924-496: The 2019 edition . Tajikistan were the only debutant in the competition, while Hong Kong marked their return for the first time in 56 years. Indonesia and Malaysia both qualified for the first time since hosting the 2007 AFC Asian Cup . Four nations from the previous edition failed to qualify ( North Korea , Turkmenistan , Yemen , and the Philippines ). India was the only SAFF representative in this edition, while it

990-565: The Ministry of Health and Medical Education , twelve COVID-19 deaths had occurred in Iran, out of a total of 64 SARS-CoV-2 confirmed infections. On 25 February, Iran's Deputy Health Minister, Iraj Harirchi tested positive for COVID-19, having shown some signs of infection during the press conference. On 3 March, the official number of deaths in Iran rose to 77, the second highest deaths recorded outside China after Italy which has surpassed Iran, although

1056-580: The final . China was acclaimed as the host country on 4 June 2019, as sole finishing bidder, days just prior to the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris , France. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from 16 June to 16 July 2023. On 14 May 2022, the AFC announced that China would not host the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic and China's Zero-COVID policy . Due to China's relinquishment of its hosting rights,

1122-490: The 2023 bid, including seven stadiums previously prepared for the 2022 FIFA World Cup . On 5 April 2023, the AFC announced the eight stadiums across four host cities for the tournament. On 21 August 2023, Lusail Stadium was added as a ninth venue. All but one ( Stadium 974 ) of the host stadiums from the 2022 FIFA World Cup were selected for the tournament, along with Jassim bin Hamad Stadium , which hosted matches during

1188-559: The AFC announced that the tournament would be held in Qatar , replacing the original hosts China . Due to the high summer temperatures and Qatar's participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup , the tournament was postponed to 12 January – 10 February 2024, while retaining the original name for both existing sponsorship and logistical purposes. The 2023 tournament were the second of three consecutive Asian Cup to be held in Middle East , following

1254-460: The AFC conducted a second round of bidding, with a deadline for submissions scheduled on 17 October 2022. Four nations submitted bids: Australia, Indonesia, Qatar , and South Korea. However, Australia subsequently withdrew in September 2022, as did Indonesia on 15 October. On 17 October, the AFC announced that Qatar had won the bid and would host the tournament. Five host cities were submitted in

1320-764: The Australian external territory of Christmas Island reported its first case of COVID-19. On 9 March, Cyprus confirmed its first 2 cases, one in Nicosia and one in Limassol. On 20 March, East Timor confirmed its first COVID-19 case. All flights from China and Wuhan to Tbilisi International Airport were cancelled until 27 January. The Health Ministry announced that all arriving passengers from China would be screened. Georgia also temporarily shut down all flights to Iran. On 26 February, Georgia confirmed its first COVID-19 case. A 50-year-old man, who returned to Georgia from Iran,

1386-682: The Iranian federation complained of only 4 percent of the seats having been allocated to Iranian supporters, even though AFC regulations stated 8 percent needed to be allocated. COVID-19 pandemic in Asia The COVID-19 pandemic began in Asia in Wuhan , Hubei, China, and has spread widely through the continent. As of 30 November 2024, at least one case of COVID-19 had been reported in every country in Asia except Turkmenistan . The Asian countries with

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1452-536: The VORTEXAC23 made by Kelme , was unveiled on 10 August 2023. The ball's design "incorporates Qatar’s maroon colours, echoing the nation’s identity, and mirrors the championship’s emblem at its centre." Technical assessments rigorously tested the ball's performance, ensuring its durability, quality, and readiness. On 20 December 2023, the official match ball of the final , the VORTEXAC23+, was revealed. The ball built on

1518-535: The Virtuocity eSports Arena in Doha, the event featured participants from twenty AFC member associations, who were competing in the Asian Cup. On 6 February 2024, Indonesia won the first ever AFC eAsian Cup, winning 2–0 against Japan in the final. The first batch of tickets for the tournament, with more than 150,000 tickets, were sold out in just a week, since sales began on 10 October 2023. Another 90,000 tickets of

1584-419: The country was confirmed on 21 February. The index case was a school bus driver who had travelled to Iran. Bahrain has recorded a total of 2,009 COVID-19 cases including 7 deaths and 1,026 recoveries. The Bahraini government has unveiled a stimulus packages of 4.3 billion Bahraini Dinars that include exempting consumers from bills of electricity and water for three months. The first three COVID-19 cases of

1650-431: The country were found on 7 March 2020 that was officially confirmed on 8 March 2020 by Professor Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, former director, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), then. Two of those affected returned to Bangladesh from Italy and one was a family member of one of those two. On 18 March, the first known coronavirus death in the country was reported. On 22 March, Bangladesh declared

1716-454: The country. By late April, India led the world in new and active cases. On 30 April 2021, it became the first country to report over 400,000 new cases in a 24-hour period. Experts stated that the virus may reach an endemic stage in India rather than completely disappear; in late August 2021, Soumya Swaminathan said India may be in some stage of endemicity where the country learns to live with

1782-457: The design of the VORTEXAC23 and used a predominantly gold and maroon colour scheme "to reflect the prestige of competing for the AFC Asian Cup title." The official song of the tournament, "Hadaf" by Humood AlKhudher and Fahad Al Hajjaji , was released on 1 January 2024. On 2 December 2023, the tournament's official mascots were unveiled at Barahat Msheireb, Doha, through an anime-inspired animation produced by Katara Studios. The mascots were

1848-425: The disease since March 2020. As of July 2021, the highest numbers of deaths are recorded in India, Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey, each with more than 90,000 deaths and more than 900,000 deaths combined. However, the death toll in Iran and Indonesia are claimed to be much higher than the official figures. Per capita, the highest deaths have been disproportionally in several Western Asian states, with Georgia having

1914-617: The epicenter of the pandemic. Lockdowns were announced in Kerala on 23 March, and in the rest of the country on 25 March. Infection rates started to drop in September. Daily cases peaked mid-September with over 90,000 cases reported per-day, dropping to below 15,000 in January 2021. A second wave beginning in March 2021 was much more devastating than the first, with shortages of vaccines, hospital beds, oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies in parts of

1980-550: The fifth being caused by the Delta variant and the sixth by the Omicron variant. As of February 2022, the total number of infected persons was about 4.16 million and the total number of deaths was about 21,000. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed from July 2020 to July 2021 due to COVID-19. Around the same time as the Olympics began, the delta variant began to spread in Japan, marking

2046-621: The first COVID-19 case in Sihanoukville , a 60-year-old Chinese man, travelling to the coastal city from Wuhan with his family on 23 January. Three other members of his family were placed under quarantine as they did not appear to have symptoms, while he was placed in a separate room at the Preah Sihanouk Referral Hospital. By 10 February, after two weeks of being treated and kept under observation, he had fully recovered, Health Ministry stated on account of testing negative for

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2112-562: The first case from a Russian national, who was travelling from Iran. On 12 March, a woman died from multiorgan failure who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 a day earlier. This marked the first death of coronavirus in Azerbaijan. On 22 March, the first domestic human to human transmission was confirmed. On 31 March, Azerbaijan declared nationwide quarantine. People are required to stay in private houses and apartments, permanent or temporary places of residence until 20 April. The first case in

2178-522: The first case in the country was confirmed, a 76-year-old US male who travelled to the country. On 9 March, the Ministry of Health confirmed that a preliminary coronavirus test had returned positive for a 53-year-old male who had returned from Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia on 3 March. The patient was moved to the National Isolation Centre in Tutong for treatment. On 27 January, Cambodia confirmed

2244-415: The first time that SAOT was in place at an AFC competition and made the AFC the first confederation to apply the system at the continental men's national team level. The opening ceremony, named "The Lost Chapter of Kelileh o Demneh " took place at Lusail Stadium, before the opening game between Qatar and Lebanon on 12 January 2024. Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for

2310-416: The highest figure closely followed by Armenia, and Iran in third, whereas China had the lowest. On 23 February 2020, at least three citizens of Herat who had recently returned from Qom were suspected of COVID-19 infection. Blood samples were sent to Kabul for further testing. Afghanistan later closed its border with Iran. On 24 February, Afghanistan confirmed the first COVID-19 case involving one of

2376-460: The highest numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases are India , South Korea , Turkey , Vietnam , and Iran . Despite being the first area of the world hit by the outbreak, the early wide-scale response of some Asian states, particularly Bhutan , Singapore , Taiwan , and Vietnam has allowed them to fare comparatively well. China was criticised for initially minimising the severity of the outbreak, but its wide-scale response has largely contained

2442-748: The infected individuals is Gamkrelidze's son Nikoloz. Gamkrelidze wrote on his Facebook page that he contracted the illness from a coworker, who has been tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. Georgia has suspended direct flights with Italy to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country. Coronavirus in Georgia has mostly been detected in passengers who have travelled in Italy recently. As of 1 March, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection had identified 100 cases (Including 2 Suspected Recovered Cases) in Hong Kong, with 36 patients since recovered and 2 died. By 2 April,

2508-521: The millions of fans. On 20 November 2023, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament announced that it would donate revenue from ticket sales to support emergency relief for Palestine, amidst the ongoing Israel–Hamas war . On 10 January 2024, the LOC announced that nearly one million tickets had been sold for the tournament. Ahead of the semi-final clash between Qatar and Iran ,

2574-540: The national total cases. On 13 July 2020, the recoveries exceeded active cases for the first time. As of , Indonesia has reported cases, the second highest in Southeast Asia , behind Vietnam . With deaths, Indonesia ranks second in Asia and ninth in the world. Review of data, however, indicated that the number of deaths may be much higher than what has been reported as those who died with acute COVID-19 symptoms but had not been confirmed or tested were not counted in

2640-436: The number of confirmed or probable cases in Hong Kong has risen to 767 after an influx of returning overseas students. 467, or 60.89% of cases were imported cases. The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2 ). As of 30 November 2024, according to Indian government figures, India has

2706-609: The number of deaths from the disease in the country to five, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Bangladesh on Wednesday confirmed another death taking the death toll in the country to six while number of positive cases rose to 54.The nationwide lockdown has been extended till 9 April to curb the spread, however Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said that offices and industries could resume work. Health minister Zahid Malik said "another 300 ventilators are being imported. There are about 700 ventilators across private hospitals". On 6 March,

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2772-466: The number of deaths is believed to be higher, up to 1,200 deaths due to Iranian Government's censorship and its eventual mishandling of virus outbreak. Iran currently has the most cases in Western Asia as well as the fourth most cases worldwide, with China, South Korea, and Italy surpassing Iran. Iran's death toll goes to 2,234 on 26 March as 29,000 cases are reported. Public gatherings are banned as

2838-402: The official death figure. Instead of implementing a nationwide lockdown, the government applied " Large-Scale Social Restrictions " ( Indonesian : Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar , abbreviated as PSBB), which was later modified into the " Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement " ( Indonesian : Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat , abbreviated as PPKM). On 30 December 2022,

2904-443: The opening ceremony of the 2023 Chinese Super League , prior to the opening match of its season between Beijing Guoan and Meizhou Hakka . Meizhou Hakka midfielder Ye Chugui scored the first ever goal in the stadium. On 15 June 2023, the stadium hosted its first international friendly match when Argentina beat Australia 2–0, with Lionel Messi scoring his fastest ever international career goal in just 79 seconds. The stadium

2970-577: The outbreak suggests that the number of cases in mainland China would have been many times higher without interventions such as early detection, and isolation of the infected. Following the initial outbreak, China opted for containment, inflicting strict lockdowns to eliminate spread. The vaccines distributed in China included the BIBP , WIBP , and CoronaVac . It was reported on 11 December 2021, that China had vaccinated 1.162 billion of its citizens, or 82.5% of

3036-477: The purposes of determining the match schedules in each group). The groups were confirmed following the draw: Each team was required to registered a squad with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, at least three of whom had to be goalkeepers. In December 2023, the maximum was increased to 26 players. On 14 September 2023, the AFC announced the list of 33 referees, 37 assistant referees, two stand-by referees and eight stand-by assistant referees for

3102-466: The restrictions were lifted for all regions in Indonesia since satisfied population immunity exceeded the expectation, although it did not lift the pandemic status. On 13 January 2021, President Joko Widodo was vaccinated at the presidential palace , officially kicking off Indonesia's vaccination program . As of 5 February 2023 at 18:00 WIB (UTC+7), 204,266,655 people had received the first dose of

3168-484: The same cluster who travelled together to Italy and returned to Georgia on Sunday. On 7 March, three people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in Georgia increasing the total number of people infected individuals in the country to twelve. Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze said at a news briefing the following day that there is still no reason to panic. One of

3234-492: The second batch were sold within the first 24 hours of being released on 19 November 2023. Fans from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Indonesia and India bought the majority of tickets offered. In addition to the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon, the match between Saudi Arabia and Oman also led ticket sales. Prices for match tickets started from as low as QAR 25 (approximately US$ 6.8) to enable greater access for

3300-771: The second-highest number of confirmed cases in the world (after the United States of America ) with 45,044,346 reported cases of COVID-19 infection and the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths (after the United States and Brazil ) at 533,655 deaths. In October 2021, the World Health Organization estimated 4.7 million excess deaths, both directly and indirectly related to COVID-19 to have taken place in India. The first cases of COVID-19 in India were reported on 30 January 2020 in three towns of Kerala , among three Indian medical students who had returned from Wuhan ,

3366-568: The station, tying the stadium to the eastern provinces of Beijing and creating an interchange station. 2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup , the quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 2019 , with hosts Qatar the defending champions. On 17 October 2022,

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3432-550: The third time by Pasteur Institute of Cambodia. The family were finally discharged and flew back to their home country on the next day as of the 80 Chinese nationals who arrived in Sihanoukville on the same flight as the patient, most had since returned to China, although the city of Wuhan remained under quarantine at that time. The COVID-19 pandemic first originated in Wuhan, Hubei in which it manifested itself as cluster of mysterious suspected pneumonia cases. Sophisticated modelling of

3498-517: The three people from Herat, a 35-year-old man who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. On 7 March, three new cases were confirmed in Herat Province . On 10 March, the first case reported outside of Herat province, was in Samangan Province , bringing to the total to five cases. Armenia confirmed the first case of coronavirus during the late night of 29 February/early morning of 1 March, announcing

3564-500: The total population of the country against COVID-19. China's large-scale adoption of zero-COVID had largely contained the first waves of infections of the disease. When the waves of infections due to the Omicron variant followed, China was almost alone in pursuing the strategy of zero-Covid to combat the spread of the virus in 2022. Lockdown continued to be employed in November to combat

3630-450: The tournament due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . On 31 December 2022, the new Workers' Stadium hosted its first event, as the New Year's Eve party called "Embrace a New Journey - 2023 BRTV New Year's Eve" took place in the stadium and was broadcast on Beijing Satellite TV . The renovated Workers’ Stadium opened officially on 15 April 2023, which included

3696-414: The tournament, including two female referees and three female assistant referees. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was used for the entire tournament following its implementation from the quarter-final stage onwards in the 2019 edition. The Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) system, which utilized twelve specialized cameras and artificial intelligence, was also implemented at all 51 matches. This marked

3762-427: The upcoming updates. This mode features fully licensed tournament teams, licensed trophy and visuals. On 8 December 2023, the AFC announced that it would unveil the inaugural edition of AFC eAsian Cup , which was held from 1 to 5 February 2024. This eSports tournament was played on Konami 's football video game - eFootball 2024 . It marked the confederation's first foray into the world of eSports. Taking place at

3828-532: The vaccine and 175,131,893 people had been fully vaccinated; 69,597,474 of them had been inoculated with the booster or the third dose. Iran reported its first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections on 19 February 2020 in Qom . Later that day, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education stated that both had died. By 21 February, a total of 18 people had been confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infections and four COVID-19 deaths had occurred. On 24 February, according to

3894-403: The virus. COVID-19 was confirmed to have spread to Indonesia on 2 March 2020, after a dance instructor and her mother tested positive for the virus. Both were infected from a Japanese national. By 9 April 2020, the pandemic had spread to all 34 provinces in the country at that time. Jakarta , West Java , and Central Java are the worst-hit provinces, together accounting more than half of

3960-406: Was a "high probability" that some of them have the virus. On 5 March, five people have tested positive for the new coronavirus COVID-19 in Georgia increasing the total number of people infected in the country to nine. Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze made the announcement at the recent news briefing following today. He said, all of the five people belong to

4026-603: Was admitted to Infectious Diseases Hospital in Tbilisi . He came back to the Georgian border via Azerbaijan by taxi. On 28 February, Georgia confirmed that a 31-year-old Georgia woman who had travelled to Italy tested positive and was admitted to Infectious Diseases Hospital in Tbilisi. 29 more are being kept in isolation in a Tbilisi hospital, with Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control, Amiran Gamkrelidze stating there

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4092-411: Was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences: The following suspensions occurred during the tournament: For teams eliminated in the group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings: Source: AFC The official logo and TV opening of the tournament were launched during the final draw on 11 May 2023. The logo featured

4158-457: Was derived from the term used to refer to a jerboa in Qatar. The mascots were each created with different characteristics, akin to the different roles players undertake during a football match, and made to resemble a traditional household in Qatar. On 11 January 2024, Konami released a short trailer of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup game mode, and announced that it would be added to the latest release of its football video game series, eFootball 2024 , in

4224-573: Was held at the Katara Opera House in Doha on 11 May 2023. Teams were drawn into Groups A to F. For the first time in AFC Asian Cup history, the teams from lowest pots were drawn first but not assigned to the positions of their groups, following by number orders of the group stage, as in previous editions. Pot 1 teams were assigned to the first positions of their groups, while next the positions of all other teams were drawn separately from Pot 4 to 2 (for

4290-592: Was officially inaugurated in Msheireb Downtown Doha . The first two rounds of qualification also served as the Asian qualification for the 2022 World Cup. Qatar , the host of the World Cup, participated only in the second round to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup (which they were later selected as hosts for after China withdrew its hosting rights). Of the 24 teams appearing, 20 teams were returning after appearing in

4356-456: Was the first time that five teams from the AFF managed to reach the finals ( Australia , Indonesia , Malaysia , Thailand , and Vietnam ). Only two teams from WAFF failed to qualify for this tournament ( Yemen and Kuwait ). Iran meanwhile extended their qualification record; this was their fifteenth straight appearance in the tournament, having qualified for every edition since 1968 . The draw

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