Speaking at a press conference held today at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Main Media Centre, Hassan Al Kuwari, Marketing and Communications Executive Director of the LOC, reaffirmed Qatar’s readiness to host the continental championship for a record third time and looks forward to welcoming fans from across the world.
“Qatar is ready to welcome the best teams from Asia to what we hope will be the best ever edition of the AFC Asian Cup. Our stadiums and sporting infrastructure are set to deliver a memorable tournament to players and fans,” he said.
51 matches will be played across nine stadiums from 12 January to 10 February, 2024. This includes seven stadiums that previously hosted matches during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ venues. The iconic Lusail Stadium, which hosted the unforgettable final of the FIFA World Cup 2022™, will host both the opening and final matches of the tournament.
6,000 volunteers have been recruited to support 20 functional areas across the tournament. The month-long tournament will also welcome more than 3,000 journalists, photographers, broadcasters and digital content creators from 55 countries. The Main Media Centre, located in Msheireb Downtown, will serve as a pivotal hub for all accredited media personnel, offering them a range of services, including press conference rooms, working stations equipped with WiFi and internet, as well as dedicated maintenance desks for photographers.
More than 850,000 have been sold, with fans from Qatar, India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Philippines and Indonesia leading the way. All tickets for the tournament are digital and can be purchased from https://tickets.qfa.qa/afc2023/. Group stage tickets start from as low as QR 25 and include a number of accessible seating options for disabled fans.
Qatar’s compact nature means that the farthest distance between any two stadiums is 75 km. This will enable participating teams to avoid long travel between matches, allowing their players to be well-rested for match days. Fans will also be able to attend more than one match per day.
A free shuttle service will be available from Lusail, Al Wakrah, Free Zone and Qatar University stations to Al Bayt, Al Janoub, Al Thumama and Abdullah bin Khalifa stadiums, respectively. All tournament transportation will offer wheelchair-accessible travel to disabled passengers.
Major Al Tamimi spoke about implementing the latest technologies and establishing a security command centre as central pillars of the tournament’s security strategy. Throughout the tournament, security officers will implement the highest standards in ensuring the safety of fans on match days. In the build-up to the tournament, several emergency exercises have been carried out in line with the best standards for organizing mega sporting events.
In partnership with Qatar Tourism, a number of activities are planned as part of tournament celebrations to create a carnival-like atmosphere across the country. These include musical concerts, international food and shopping festivals and match viewing zones, amongst others.
The opening match will take place between defending champions and host Qatar and Lebanon at Lusail Stadium on Friday, 12 January. kick-off will be at 7 pm, and an opening ceremony will be held prior to the match starting at 5 pm.
Source & cover image credit: Press Release
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