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AFC Asian Cup

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(Redirected from Asian Nations Cup)
"Asian Cup" redirects here. For other uses, see Asia Cup (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with AFC Cup.
AFC Asian Cup
Organising bodyAFC
Founded1956; 68 years ago (1956)
RegionAsia and Australia
Number of teams24 (finals)
47 (eligible to enter qualification)
Current champions Qatar (2nd title)
Most successful team(s) Japan (4 titles)
Websitethe-afc.com
2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Football Tournament

The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champions of Asia and until 2015 qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup.[1]

The Asian Cup was held once every four years from the 1956 AFC Asian Cup in Hong Kong until the 2004 tournament in China. However, since the Summer Olympic Games and the European Football Championship were also scheduled in the same year as the Asian Cup, the AFC decided to move their championship to a less crowded cycle. After 2004, the tournament was next held in 2007, when it was co-hosted by four countries in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Thereafter, it has again been held every four years.

The Asian Cup has generally been dominated by a small number of top teams. Prominently successful teams include Japan (four times), Iran, Saudi Arabia (three times each), South Korea and Qatar (twice each). The other teams which have achieved success are Australia (2015), Iraq (2007) and Kuwait (1980). Israel won in 1964 but was later expelled and has since joined UEFA.

Australia joined the Asian confederation in 2007 and hosted the Asian Cup finals in 2015, winning the competition in the final against South Korea. The 2019 tournament was expanded from 16 teams to 24 teams, with the qualifying process doubling as part of the qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[2][3]

History

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Beginning

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A pan-Asian competition was first proposed after the end of World War II, but it was not implemented until the 1950s. Two years after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) came into being in 1954, the first ever AFC Asian Cup was staged in Hong Kong with seven of the twelve founding members taking part, making the tournament the second oldest continental competition in the world. The qualifying process involved the hosts plus the winners of the various zones (Central, Eastern and Western). It was only a four-team tournament, a format that also existed for 1960 and 1964. Each sub-confederation already hosts their own biennial championship, each with varying degrees of interest.[citation needed]

South Korea demonstrated its superiority in the early years of the competition as the country won the championship in both 1956 and 1960; this remains as South Korea's best achievements in the tournament.[4]

West Asian domination (1964–1988)

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After Hong Kong and South Korea hosted the two first editions, Israel was chosen as host of the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. Using the same format of the two previous editions, this tournament only had four teams and played in one single group to determine the champions. Israel eventually topped the tournament ahead of India with three wins.[5] The format was updated to five teams in 1968 before it was expanded to six teams in 1972 and 1976.

The tournament became the preserve of Iran who won three consecutive tournaments in 1968, 1972 and 1976, with Iran hosting the former and the latter. Iran remains as the only national team in Asia to have won three consecutive Asian Cups. The 1972 final was notable as it was the first Asian Cup to use the group stage-knockout phase format, which was followed in the subsequent tournaments with some alternation.[6] Israel was expelled from the AFC in 1972 due to the Arab–Israeli conflict.[7]

From 1980 to 1988, the number of teams taking part expanded to ten, but West Asian countries continued their domination in the 1980s with Kuwait becoming the first Arab country to win the championship in 1980 held at home soil, beating South Korea 3–0 in the final.[8] Saudi Arabia, after an initial poor start, began to emerge as the country qualified, then won two consecutive Asian trophies in 1984 and 1988, overcoming both China and South Korea. Both tournaments were Saudi Arabia's debuts in any major competitions.[9]

Japan's rise and modernization of Asian Cup (1992–2011)

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Until the 1990s, Japan was mostly a small name in Asian football, and the country only qualified for the 1988 edition, the first time Japan took part in a continental football tournament. However, as Japan started to make a concrete move inroad to professional football, the country's fortunes increased. Japan hosted the 1992 AFC Asian Cup, which was reduced to eight teams and two groups, where it emerged victorious after beating Saudi Arabia, then-defending champions, 1–0, to win the country's first major international honour.[10][11]

The 1996 AFC Asian Cup saw the tournament expand to twelve teams in its process of professionalization. Held by the United Arab Emirates, the hosts breached into the final for the first time ever but were unable to win the trophy after losing to Saudi Arabia, who made it into the country's fourth consecutive Asian finals, on penalties. It was Saudi Arabia's third Asian title.[10][12][13]

The 2000 AFC Asian Cup saw Lebanon take part in its first Asian tournament, and it was Saudi Arabia who again reached the final, but this time, Japan triumphed over Saudi Arabia 1–0 in a final filled with a majority of Saudi supporters.[14] Japan would go on to retain their Asian trophy four years later, albeit in a more struggling style and a very heated, politically charged final toward hosts China.[15] The 2004 edition was notable as it expanded to 16 teams, and marked Saudi Arabia's absence from an Asian Cup final for the first time.

The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the debut of Australia, which had abandoned the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006 (coincidentally the first team to qualify for the tournament), as well as being the first football competition in the world to be hosted by more than two nations, with four countries in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) hosting.[16][17] In this tournament, Iraq was crowned as Asian champions despite the ravaging American invasion, overpowering the likes of Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia in the process.[18]

Australia (which joined the AFC in 2006), after its poor debut in 2007, rebounded to reach the final in 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, but lost to Japan after extra-time; the win for Japan meant it became the most decorated team in Asian football with four titles.[19] Still, the tournament was notable as the first Asian Cup to use the jersey numbers' order from 1 to 23, previously not practised in prior competitions.

Expansion of the Asian Cup (2015–present)

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Following Australia's successes in the 2011 Asian Cup, the AFC approved the country to host the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. At the tournament, Australia managed to clamp down every opponent with only one loss, against eventual finalist South Korea, whom Australia would get a 2–1 final revenge after extra-time; the win officially sealed Southeast Asia's first Asian title as Australia joined the AFF in 2013.[20] AFC Asian Cup began on 12 January 2024 and ended on 10th February 2024.[21]

At the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, video assistant referees were used in the tournament for the first time,[22] and the tournament expanded to 24 teams.[23] In addition, a fourth substitution was allowed during extra time.[24] The tournament, hosted by the United Arab Emirates for the second time, witnessed the rise of Qatar, who conquered its first ever Asian title after beating Japan in the final 3–1.[25] The tournament was marred by the Qatar diplomatic crisis, due to the UAE's entry ban on Qatari supporters, as well as shoe-throwing in the two teams' semi-final clash.[26]

Format

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Final tournament

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Since 1972, the final tournament has been played in two stages: the group stage and the knockout stage.

Since 2019, the Asian Cup final tournament has been contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format that was used from 2004 to 2015.[27][28]Each team plays three games in a group of four, with the winners and runners-up from each group advancing to the knockout stage along with four best third-placed teams. In the knockout stage, the sixteen teams compete in a single-elimination tournament, beginning with the round of 16 and ending with the final match of the tournament.

Year Teams Matches Format
1956 4 6 round-robin group of 4
1960 4 6
1964 4 6
1968 5 10 round-robin group of 5
1972 6 13 group allocation matches, 2 groups of 3, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
1976 6 10 2 groups of 3, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
1980 10 24 2 groups of 5, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
1984 10 24
1988 10 24
1992 8 16 2 groups of 4, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
1996 12 26 3 groups of 4, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
2000 12 26
2004 16 32 4 groups of 4, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
2007 16 32
2011 16 32
2015 16 32
2019 24 51 6 groups of 4, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final
2023 24 51
2027 24 51
2031 24 51

Trophy

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Trophy history
The original trophy launched in 1956, in use until 2015
The trophy used since 2019

There have been two Asian Cup trophies; the first one used between 1956 and 2015, and the second one in use since 2019.

The first trophy came in the form of a bowl with circular base. It was 42 centimeters tall and weighed 15 kilograms.[29] Until the 2000 tournament, the black base contained plaques engraved with names of every winning country, as well as the edition won.[30][31] The trophy was redesigned, adding more silver and reducing the black base to just a thin layer down. This base was plaque-free and the winning countries' names were engraved around the base.[32]

During the draw for the 2019 group stage on 4 May 2018 at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, an all-new trophy made by Thomas Lyte was unveiled. It is 78 centimeters tall, 42 centimeters wide, and weighs 15 kilograms of silver.[33] The trophy is modeled after the lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant. The five petals of the lotus symbolize the five sub-confederations under the AFC.[34] The winning countries' names are engraved around the trophy base, which is separable from the trophy's main body. This trophy has a handle on each side, unlike its predecessor.

Results

[edit]
See also: List of AFC Asian Cup finals
Key
Ed. Year Hosts Final Third place playoff or losing semi-finalists Number of teams
Champions Score Runners-up Third place Score Fourth place
1 1956  Hong Kong
South Korea 		round-robin
Israel
Hong Kong 		round-robin
South Vietnam 		4
2 1960  South Korea
South Korea 		round-robin
Israel
Republic of China 		round-robin
South Vietnam 		4
3 1964  Israel
Israel 		round-robin
India
South Korea 		round-robin
Hong Kong 		4
4 1968  Iran
Iran 		round-robin
Burma
Israel 		round-robin
Republic of China 		5
5 1972  Thailand
Iran 		2–1 (a.e.t.)
South Korea
Thailand 		2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 p)
Khmer Republic 		6
6 1976  Iran
Iran 		1–0
Kuwait
China 		1–0
Iraq 		6
7 1980  Kuwait
Kuwait 		3–0
South Korea
Iran 		3–0
North Korea 		10
8 1984  Singapore
Saudi Arabia 		2–0
China
Kuwait 		1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 p)
Iran 		10
9 1988  Qatar
Saudi Arabia 		0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
South Korea
Iran 		0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–0 p)
China 		10
10 1992  Japan
Japan 		1–0
Saudi Arabia
China 		1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
United Arab Emirates 		8
11 1996  United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia 		0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
United Arab Emirates
Iran 		1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 p)
Kuwait 		12
12 2000  Lebanon
Japan 		1–0
Saudi Arabia
South Korea 		1–0
China 		12
13 2004  China
Japan 		3–1
China
Iran 		4–2
Bahrain 		16
14 2007

Iraq 		1–0
Saudi Arabia
South Korea 		0–0 (a.e.t.)
(6–5 p)
Japan 		16
15 2011  Qatar
Japan 		1–0 (a.e.t.)
Australia
South Korea 		3–2
Uzbekistan 		16
16 2015  Australia
Australia 		2–1 (a.e.t.)
South Korea
United Arab Emirates 		3–2
Iraq 		16
17 2019  United Arab Emirates
Qatar 		3–1
Japan 		 Iran and  United Arab Emirates 24
18 2023  Qatar
Qatar 		3–1
Jordan 		 Iran and  South Korea 24
19 2027  Saudi Arabia TBD TBD TBD and TBD 24

Summary

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See also: Asian Cup comprehensive team results by tournament

First four edition of competition only had four or five teams and played in one single group. Since 1972, the final tournament has introduced the knockout stage. Since 2019, no third place play-off has been played; from 2023, losing semi-finalists are ranked by the AFC based on goal difference in the semi-finals.[35]

Bold text denotes team was host country.

Team Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place Semi-finalist Top 4
total
 Japan 4 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011) 1 (2019) — 1 (2007) — 6
 Saudi Arabia 3 (1984, 1988, 1996) 3 (1992, 2000, 2007) — — — 6
 Iran 3 (1968, 1972, 1976) — 4 (1980, 1988, 1996, 2004) 1 (1984) 2 (2019, 2023) 10
 South Korea 2 (1956, 1960) 4 (1972, 1980, 1988, 2015) 4 (1964, 2000, 2007, 2011) — 1 (2023) 11
 Qatar 2 (2019, 2023) — — — — 2
 Israel 1 (1964) 2 (1956, 1960) 1 (1968) — — 4
 Kuwait 1 (1980) 1 (1976) 1 (1984) 1 (1996) — 4
 Australia 1 (2015) 1 (2011) — — — 2
 Iraq 1 (2007) — — 2 (1976, 2015) — 3
 China — 2 (1984, 2004) 2 (1976, 1992) 2 (1988, 2000) — 6
 United Arab Emirates — 1 (1996) 1 (2015) 1 (1992) 1 (2019) 4
 India — 1 (1964) — — — 1
 Myanmar[a] — 1 (1968) — — — 1
 Jordan — 1 (2023) — — — 1
 Hong Kong — — 1 (1956) 1 (1964) — 2
 Chinese Taipei[b] — — 1 (1960) 1 (1968) — 2
 Thailand — — 1 (1972) — — 1
 Vietnam[c] — — — 2 (1956, 1960) — 2
 Cambodia[d] — — — 1 (1972) — 1
 North Korea — — — 1 (1980) — 1
 Bahrain — — — 1 (2004) — 1
 Uzbekistan — — — 1 (2011) — 1

AFC Asian Cup Results

Records and statistics

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Main article: AFC Asian Cup records and statistics
Further information: AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

Awards

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Main article: AFC Asian Cup awards

There are currently five post-tournament awards:

  • the Most Valuable Player for best player;
  • the Top Goalscorer for most prolific goal scorer;
  • the Best Goalkeeper for most outstanding goalkeeper;
  • the Team of the Tournament for best combined team of players at the tournament;
  • the Fair Play Award for the team with the best record of fair play.

Controversies

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Despite being the second oldest continental football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup has suffered numerous criticisms.[36][37][38] Criticisms over the inability of the AFC Asian Cup to attract large attendances, political interference, high costs of traveling between AFC member states and different cultures were highlighted over the Asian Cup.

Political interference

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The AFC Asian Cup is marked with numerous instances of political interference. One of these was the case of Israel, as the team used to be a member of the AFC but following the Yom Kippur War and increasing hostility from the Arab AFC members, Israel was expelled from the AFC in 1974 and had to compete in the OFC, until being granted UEFA membership in 1990.[39] Meanwhile, similar cases also exist in other AFC tournaments like the one between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Following the 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, Saudi Arabia had refused to play against Iran and even threatened to withdraw, afterwards blowing over onto international level.[40] Tensions between the two Koreas during qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup had led North Korea to withdraw from hosting the South Korean team and refusing to display the South Korean flag and play their national anthem. As a result, North Korea's home matches were moved to Shanghai.[41]

Low attendances

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Low crowds have also been another problem for the AFC Asian Cup. At the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, there had been concerns over low record of crowds due to little football interests and high costs of traveling between Asian nations leading to then-Australia coach Holger Osieck claiming that the Qatar Armed Forces were used to fill up the stadiums simply for aesthetics, while Australia international Brett Holman commented, "Worldwide it's not recognized as a good tournament".[38]

In 2010, Qatar was chosen as the host country for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The country is set to become the first in the Middle East to host the world's biggest sporting event, triumphing over strong competition from the United States and Australia. Approximately 5 billion people were involved in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as they followed tournament content through various platforms and devices in the media universe.[42]

On 10 Feb 2024, the AFC announced that the tournament in Qatar had surpassed the previous total attendance record of 1.04 million set during the 2004 tournament in China, with a new record of 1.06 million. This achievement was reached prior to the quarter-final stage.[43][44]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^  Burma until 1989.
  2. ^  Republic of China until 1980.
  3. ^ Including results representing  South Vietnam.
  4. ^  Khmer Republic from 1970 to 1975.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FIFA Council votes for the introduction of a revamped FIFA Club World Cup". FIFA.com. 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Revamp of AFC competitions". The-afc.com. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  3. ^ "AFC Asian Cup changes set for 2019". Afcasiancup.com. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014.
  4. ^ "The AFC". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  5. ^ "The AFC". Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
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  9. ^ "Factbox: Saudi Arabia at the Asian Cup". Reuters. 29 December 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
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  18. ^ Lampen, Jerry (29 July 2007). "Iraq ride wave of support to lift Asian Cup". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
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  22. ^ "AFC plans to introduce VAR at UAE 2019". 27 September 2018.
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  24. ^ "Fourth substitution to be introduced at UAE 2019". AFC. 12 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  25. ^ "Qatar stun Japan with 3–1 win to be crowned Asian Cup champions". TheGuardian.com. February 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  26. ^ "Fans throw shoes as Qatar reach Asian Cup final". ABC News. 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  27. ^ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". Asian Football Confederation. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
  28. ^ "AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 10 September 2020.
  29. ^ AFC Asian Cup Trophy on YouTube
  30. ^ "The Asian Cup Trophy – Asia Cup". Getty Images. 21 December 1996. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  31. ^ "Japan coach Philippe Troussier lifts the Asian Cup trophy". Alamy. 29 October 2000. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  32. ^ "The remarkable rise of Asia's greatest showpiece". Asian Football Confederation. 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  33. ^ "Dazzling new AFC Asian Cup trophy unveiled in Dubai". Asian Football Confederation. 4 May 2018. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  34. ^ Highlights: AFC Asian Cup 2019 trophy reveal on YouTube
  35. ^ "AFC Competition Operations Manual (Edition 2023)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. p. 88. If there is no 3rd/4th place playoff ... the Participating Teams ranked three (3) and four (4) shall be determined in descending order as follows:
    (i) superior goal difference in the semi-finals;
    (ii) higher number of goals scored in the semi-finals;
    (iii) superior goal difference in the quarter-finals (if applicable);
    (iv) higher number of goals scored in the quarter-finals (if applicable)...
  36. ^ "Iran's success reflects the failures of Asian football". The Economist. 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  37. ^ Panja, Tariq (17 January 2019). "Politics Looms Over Empty Seats as Saudi Arabia Faces Qatar in Asian Cup". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  38. ^ a b Paraskevas, Chris. "Asian Cup 2011 Comment: Empty Stadiums Hurting Asian Football And Qatar". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  39. ^ Conor Heffernan (20 November 2014). "The Controversial Case of Israel & International Football". punditarena.com. Pundit Arena. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  40. ^ "Saudi-Iranian Tension Extends To Sports – Saudi Arabian Football Federation Announces: We Will Not Play In Iran". memri.org. The Middle East Media Research Institute. 6 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  41. ^ Mark Ledsom (7 March 2008). "Koreas match moved to Shanghai after anthem row". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  42. ^ "One Month On: 5 billion engaged with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  43. ^ Islam, Arif (2024-02-12). "What the 2023 Asian Cup taught us about the commercial growth of the tournament and soccer's potential in the region". SportsPro. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  44. ^ "AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ sets new all-time attendance record".
[edit]
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