AFC Asian Cup 2023 to take place from January 12 next year

Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], April 6 : The AFC Asian Cup 2023 football competition will take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, 2024, and the Indian men's football team will participate along with the other top 23 countries in Asia.

The 18th edition of the continental competition's dates and locations were officially announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday. China was set to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2023. Qatar was chosen to host the competition after China renounced their hosting duties due to COVID-19, as per Olympics.com.

India has qualified for two AFC Asian Cup tournaments in a row for the first time. India nearly missed making it to the knockout rounds at the most recent competition in 2019. They had finished at the bottom of Group A with three points, having won one match and lost two.

The 106th-ranked Indian team, coached by Igor Stimac, won Group D in the third round of the qualifiers to earn a spot in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

The 30-day event will see 24 teams divided into six groups. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams from across the six groups will advance to the round of 16. The final will be played on February 10.

Al Janoub Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Education City Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, and Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium are the eight stadiums where the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be played. Six of these locations saw action during the FIFA World Cup 2022.

The AFC Asian Cup 2023 draw will take place in Doha on May 11. For the draw, the 24 competing teams have been divided into six pots, each with four teams. Together with Tajikistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, India is in Pot 4.