Text size World Cup hosts Qatar will stage the 2023 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said on Monday, after China withdrew earlier this year because of Covid. "The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive committee has today confirmed the Qatar Football Association (QFA) as the host association for the AFC Asian Cup 2023," the Malaysia-based body said in a statement. China in June 2019 won the bid to host the event but withdrew in May this year because of its "zero-Covid" policy, leaving the AFC scrambling to find a new host for its flagship men's 24-team football tournament. The tournament had been due to be held in 10 Chinese cities from June 16 to July 16 next year. China is the last major economy still trying to stamp out Covid-19 within its borders, through a series of harsh measures involving snap lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions. The Asian Cup is staged every four years. Qatar won the tournament’s last edition, in 2019, which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates. South Korea and Indonesia were the other two countries that participated in the bidding to host after China’s withdrawal. Qatar will host the World Cup starting next month. jsm/mba/pst The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced that Qatar will host the 2023 Asian Cup. Asian international soccer’s showpiece event is set to take place from 16th June to 16th July next year, although the AFC could move the tournament to a new date due to concerns over potentially extreme heat levels. The AFC will need Fifa’s approval to ensure the competition can be moved to a later time, which could cause a clash with the 2023/24 European club soccer season. The 24-team event was originally set to be hosted by China, which had to then step aside due to the country’s strict policies towards the Covid-19 pandemic. Qatar, who won the previous edition of the tournament in 2019, will now host the competition for a record third time, having beaten bids by South Korea and Indonesia to replace China as hosts. “Qatar’s capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe”, said AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. “Given the short lead time in preparation, we know that the hard work begins immediately but with their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivalled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia’s crown jewel.” 11hSam Marsden and Moises Llorens 2hBill Connelly and James Tyler In addition to this year's FIFA World Cup, Qatar have now been confirmed as the hosts of AFC Asian Cup 2023 -- where they will also be defending champions after winning the previous edition in 2019. MAHMOUD KHALED/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Qatar will stage next year's AFC Asian Cup in place of original hosts China PR after seeing off rival bids from South Korea and Indonesia, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Monday. The continental championship was awarded to China in 2019 but the world's most populous country relinquished their rights earlier this year as it pursued a zero-COVID policy. The AFC re-opened the bidding process and the three candidates were considered by the executive committee on Monday. "Qatar's capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe," AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement. "With their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivalled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia's crown jewel." The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has proposed that the 24-team tournament be shifted from its original dates in June and July next year to run for a month from Jan. 24, 2024, its spokesman, Ali Al Salat, told Reuters. The Gulf Arab state has staged the Asian Cup twice before, in 1988 and 2011, and it won the last tournament, in the United Arab Emirates, in 2019. The Asian Cup is held every four years. The gas and oil-rich country has built seven stadiums and upgraded another around the capital Doha to host the 32-team FIFA World Cup in November and December. The QFA is proposing all eight be used for the Asian Cup, Al Salat said. The 24-team Asian Cup is now likely to be shifted from its original dates in June and July to later in 2023, or even into early 2024, to ensure matches are not played during the worst of the summer heat. South Korea had been favourites to be awarded the hosting rights as the country had not staged the finals since 1960, when they won the second of their two Asian titles. Indonesia had been considered outsiders because of the lack of stadium infrastructure in the country, even more so after more than 130 people died in a stampede at a match at Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java on Oct. 1. The AFC said the executive meeting had opened with the offer of "heartfelt condolences" to the Indonesian FA "as well as the families and loved ones of the precious lives lost". Qatar was also one of three nations bidding to stage the 2027 edition of the Asian Cup after Iran and Uzbekistan withdrew expressions of interest. The AFC executive committee on Monday shortlisted the bids from India and Saudi Arabia for that tournament with a final decision to be made at their next meeting in February. Where is Asia Cup 2023 held?The hosting rights of the 2023 edition of the 50-over Asia Cup has been awarded to Pakistan by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as a pre-cursor to the marquee World Cup in India.
Who hosts AFC?Defending champions Qatar will host the Asian Cup for the third time in their history, a year after the World Cup.
Who is hosting AFC championship 2022?The AFC Cup 2022™ Group A matches will be held in Muscat, Oman, where three-time winners Kuwait SC will battle Lebanon's Al Ansar as well as Al Seeb Club from Oman and Jableh of Syria.
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