The Asian Football Confederation and the Local Organizing Committee for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 have confirmed that the upcoming edition of the continent’s flagship international competition will be held from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, 2024.
The tournament was initially scheduled to be played in China this year.
Asia’s top 24 nations will take part in the event, and as part of efforts to engage with more fans, the 18th edition of the tournament will have the opening game on a Friday and the final on a weekend.
At the same time, the AFC and LOC have also confirmed that the tournament will be staged across eight stadiums, six of which were venues for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. These are the Al-Janoub, Al-Bayt, Ahmed bin Ali, Al-Thumama, Education City, Khalifa International, Jassim bin Hamad and Abdullah bin Khalifa stadiums.
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa said: “We know that the Local Organizing Committee and the Qatar Football Association will stage a true spectacle never before experienced in Asian football history.
“Already, we have witnessed the QFA and the Qatari Authorities organize the best-ever FIFA World Cup in the history of the modern game, and we have every faith that they will showcase their unrivalled hosting capabilities, state-of-the-art infrastructure and warm hospitality well admired throughout the world for the benefit of our teams, players and passionate fans.
“We praise them for their dedication and commitment, and we are delighted to confirm the competition dates and venues, which represents an important milestone in our ambitions to provide the ultimate stage for our teams and players to shine.”
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will be held across 30 days, two more than the 2019 edition in the UAE, as part of efforts to enhance the experience for fans as well as raise the stature and commercial value of the competition.
The official draw ceremony for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2022 has also been confirmed, to be held at the Katara Opera House in Doha on May 11, 2023, with the official match schedule also expected to be unveiled shortly after the draw.