Football at the AFC Asian Cup 2023: complete schedule, locations, groups, and format

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup football competition begins on Friday in Qatar. This major international men’s football competition in Asia is in its 18th edition, and it will continue until February 10, 2024.

Qatar, the hosts and reigning AFC Asian Cup champions, will play Lebanon in the opening match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup at the Lusail Stadium on January 12. The Group A match between Lebanon and Qatar begins at 9:30 PM IST. Every game will have live TV broadcasts and streaming services.

Meanwhile, Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria have been drawn into Group B alongside the Indian men’s football team. India’s campaign will begin on January 13 against Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. On January 18, they will play Uzbekistan at the same location.

On January 23, Sunil Chhetri and company will play their last group match against Syria at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

India will play in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 for the fifth time, having participated in the continental competition in 1964, 1984, 2011, and 2019. With the exception of finishing second in 1964, India has never advanced past the group stage.

The other teams included four-time champions The two other Asian heavyweights, the Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia, are in Group E and F, respectively, while Japan, the most successful team in the history of the continental football competition, is in Group D.

Football groups and formats for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup

Group A: Lebanon, Tajikistan, People’s Republic of China, and Qatar

Group B: Syria, India, Uzbekistan, and Australia

Group C: China, Palestine, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates make up

Group D: Vietnam, Indonesia, Iraq, and Japan

Group E: Bahrain, Malaysia, Jordan, and South Korea

Group F: Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia

The AFC Asian Cup will feature 24 teams in total this year, which is eight more than the previous edition in 2019. Six groups of equal size have been formed from the teams.

Teams in the group stage will play one round robin match against each other. After the conclusion of all group matches on January 25, the top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams overall will move into the round of 16.

The Lusail Stadium, which played host to Argentina and France’s FIFA World Cup 2022 final two years ago, will also serve as the venue for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 football final.

The Asian Cup 2023 will take place in nine different locations.

Location of India’s live AFC Asian Cup 2023 broadcast

Live streaming of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be available on JioCinema. The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 and Sports18 HD TV channels.

The complete schedule of matches for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup

Schedule for AFC Asian Cup 2023