Qatar kicked off their campaign towards the 2019 trophy in the UAE with three victories - 2-0 over Lebanon, 6-0 over North Korea, and 2-0 over Saudi Arabia - to top Group E. Akram Afif's mates made an overwhelming 1-0 round-of-16 victory over Iraq before defeating South Korea 1-0 in the round-of-8. In the semi-final, Felix Sanchez men beat hosts UAE 4-0 before they defeated four-time holders Japan 3-1 the finale. This was Japan's first-ever defeat in their all final match appearances in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011.

In this edition, Qatar won their all seven matches, scoring 19 goals and conceding only a single goal. Top-scorer and best player in the tournament Al Moez Ali set a new record by scoring nine goals, breaking that of Irans Ali Daei who scored eight goals in 1996.

Former Villarreal and Al Sadd player, Akram Afif, won the best playmaker award with 10 assists, as he contributed to scoring 11 goals, making the most effective assists in a single edition.

Goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb won the best goalkeeper award after maintaining a clean sheet for six consecutive matches. Qatar were the best team to keep a clean sheet in one tournament after Iran in the 1976 edition.

This edition also saw Qatar defeating four former AFC Asian Cup champions - Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Korea and Japan. It also raised the number of teams that won the Asian title to nine, with Japan atop the list with four titles.

For the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 draw, Hosts and defending champions Qatar are in Pot 1 along with the teams ranked from second to sixth in Asia in the latest FIFA Ranking namely, four-time winners Japan, three-time champions Iran, two-time winners South Korea, 2015 champions Australia and Saudi Arabia who will be aiming to secure their fourth AFC crown.

The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will last for 30 days, two days longer than the previous edition in the UAE, in a bid to enhance the enthusiastic fan experience in Asia, and bolster the status of the tournament.

Source: Qatar News Agency