The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ was truly a month-long spectacle that was enjoyed by sports lovers and others alike in the country. This world-class football tournament was held in Qatar from 12 January to 10 February 2024.
From some team firsts, women referees introduced for the first time, record-breaking attendees and more, here are some highlights that made the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ one of the most memorable tournaments!
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ saw four teams competing in the Round of 16 for the first time in their history. Palestine, Syria, Indonesia and Tajikistan were able to pass the group stage for the first time at the continental level!
Tajikistan also qualified for the quarter-final stage for the first time in their history after beating the UAE on penalties at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium.
For the first time, women match officials made their debut at AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™.
Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan officiated the India vs Australia match in Qatar on 13 January 2024, with the support of Japanese assistant referees Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi.
The other women included referee Jacewicz Katherine Margaret from Australia and assistant referee Kim Kyoung Min from South Korea.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Local Organising Committee (LOC) donated revenue from tournament ticket sales to support urgent relief interventions in Palestine.
For Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairman of LOC, using football as a means of showing solidarity with the people of Palestine is of the utmost importance.
Just 10 days after the start of the competition, the tournament exceeded the 1.5 billion engagement mark on AFC's digital channels; making it the first AFC competition to reach the milestone.
The opening of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ had a record-breaking attendance with a total of 82,490 fans attending the match at Lusail Stadium.
The Qatar-edition of the tournament made history by breaking the attendance record of 1,068,587 during the knockout stage match between Qatar and Palestine on 29 January 2024.
The Qatar National Football Team (Al Annabi) became the 5th Asian team to retain the title for the second time consecutively after defeating Jordan at the Lusail Stadium.
Qatar's national team won the title for the first time in its history in the 2019 Asian Cup held in the UAE.
Qatar became the fifth team to retain the Asian Cup in two consecutive editions, after South Korea which won the first two editions in 1956 and 1960, Iran in 1968, 1972 and 1976, Saudi Arabia in 1984 and 1988, and Japan in 2000 and 2004.
Team Qatar participated in the Asian Cup for the 11th time and now has two titles and has etched its name among the competition's most crowned teams.
More than 700 children took part in the tournament as player escorts, flagbearers, and ball crew. This was part of the Local Organising Committee’s (LOC) Youth Programme.
The introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) system for the first time in the tournament helped match officials make informed decisions. It was implemented in all 51 matches of the tournament.
Fans with sensory needs were able to be part of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ excitement with sensory rooms set up at three stadiums: Al Bayt, Lusail and Education City.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Local Organising Committee (LOC) partnered with Hifz Alnaema, a local charity organization to redistribute unused food on match days to workers and other beneficiaries as part of its wider tournament sustainability strategy.
Adjacent to the happenings of the tournament, special license plates featuring the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ logo were introduced for vehicles in Qatar.
Fans with match tickets enjoyed free rides on all Doha Metro lines on the specified match days. The Doha Metro transported 6.2 million passengers during the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™.
The mascots for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™️ had returned in this tournament, too, since first making an appearance in 2011. Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti, and Traeneh are the brainchild of Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed. He created a set of characters resembling a traditional Qatari household that pays tribute to all four corners of the country.
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