The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ makes history, breaking the tournament’s historic attendance record of 1.04 million. The tournament's Local Organising Committee (LOC) confirmed the attendance milestone, which reached 1,068,587 during the knockout stage match between Qatar and Palestine. With 11 matches still to unfold, the tournament continues to captivate fans and set new benchmarks.
The 18th edition of the championship hosted by Qatar has seen massive fans from across Asia make their way to Qatar’s stadiums to support their team from the stands. The opening match at Lusail Stadium drew an attendance of 82,490 spectators, making it the most attended opening match in AFC Asian Cup™ history and marking the highest attendance for a Qatar home game.
For Jassim Al Jassim, CEO of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Local Organising Committee (LOC), record breaking attendances are a testament to Qatar’s ability to host world class sporting events: “Once again, Qatar has reaffirmed its place as a global sporting capital. Our modern infrastructure and operational experience has enabled us to deliver yet another accessible and culturally engaging tournament to the highest standards.”
He added: “We’re delighted to be setting records this early in the tournament. With 11 matches still to go, the best is yet to come, with many teams showcasing exceptional performances.”
The tournament also broke digital engagement records, becoming one of the most trending topics amongst fans online. During the group stage alone, the tournament's Local Organising Committee (LOC) social media accounts garnered 689 million impressions, 5 million engagements and 208 million video views, making it the highest level of engagement ever achieved by an AFC Asian Cup™.
In addition, the group stage celebrated a number of firsts on the pitch. Qualifying from the group stage were debutants Tajikistan who managed to squeeze through as a third-place qualifier and advance to the quarter-final. This edition also saw Palestine and Indonesia make it past the group stage for the first time in their AFC Asian Cup™ history.
Qatar is hosting the AFC Asian Cup™ for a record third time after successfully hosting it in 1988 and 2011. Twenty-four of the continent’s best teams will compete for the continent’s most prestigious football title. A total of 51 matches will be played across nine stadiums, with the final set for 10 February 2024.
For more information about the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, visit www.asiancup2023.qa and follow @Qatar2023 on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Source and cover image credit: Press release
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