2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Tournament details
Host countryUzbekistan
Dates1–19 June
Teams16 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)4 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Saudi Arabia (1st title)
Runners-up Uzbekistan
Third place Japan
Fourth place Australia
Tournament statistics
Matches played32
Goals scored81 (2.53 per match)
Attendance154,134 (4,817 per match)
Top scorer(s)Japan Yuito Suzuki
Saudi Arabia Ayman Yahya
South Korea Cho Young-wook
Thailand Suphanat Mueanta
Uzbekistan Jasurbek Jaloliddinov (3 goals each)
Best player(s)Saudi Arabia Ayman Yahya
Best goalkeeperSaudi Arabia Nawaf Al-Aqidi
Fair play award Saudi Arabia

The 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup was the 5th edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup (prior to 2021 known as the AFC U-23 Championship[1]), a biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. The players had to be born on or after 1 January 1999.[2]

The tournament was originally going to be held in Uzbekistan from 6–24 January 2022, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and rescheduled to 1–19 June 2022.[3][4] A total of 16 teams competed in the tournament.[5]

South Korea were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Japan in the quarter-finals, failing to finish among the top 4 for the first time. Saudi Arabia became the fifth different country to win the tournament, beating hosts Uzbekistan in the final.

Host selection

Originally, it was determined that China would host the tournament, as a preparatory competition ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[6] However, they withdrew from hosting the tournament in October 2020 due to scheduling conflicts, stadium completion timelines ahead of other international events and challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] On 18 March 2021, the AFC announced that Uzbekistan will host the tournament.[3]

Qualification

Qualification matches were played between 23 October and 2 November 2021.[8]

Qualified teams

Team Qualified as Appearance Previous best performance
 UzbekistanHosts5thChampions (2018)
 QatarGroup A winners4thThird place (2018)
 IranGroup B winners4thQuarter-finals (2016)
 IraqGroup C winners5thChampions (2013)
 KuwaitGroup D winners2ndGroup stage (2013)
 United Arab EmiratesGroup E winners4thQuarter-finals (2013, 2016, 2020)
 JordanGroup F winners5thThird place (2013)
 AustraliaGroup G winners5thThird place (2020)
 South KoreaGroup H winners5thChampions (2020)
 VietnamGroup I winners4thRunners-up (2018)
 MalaysiaGroup J winners2ndQuarter-finals (2018)
 JapanGroup K winners5thChampions (2016)
 Thailand1st best runners-up4thQuarter-finals (2020)
 Saudi Arabia2nd best runners-up5thRunners-up (2013, 2020)
 Turkmenistan3rd best runners-up1stDebut
 Tajikistan4th best runners-up1stDebut

Venues

Tashkent
Qarshi
Milliy Stadium Pakhtakor Stadium Lokomotiv Stadium Markaziy Stadium
Capacity: 34,000 Capacity: 35,000 Capacity: 8,000 Capacity: 21,000

Match officials

The following referees and assistant referees were appointed for the tournament. Video assistant referees were used in this tournament.[9]

Referees
Assistant referees
  • Australia Owen Goldrick
  • Australia George Lakrindis
  • China Cao Yi
  • China Shi Xiang
  • Iraq Watheq Al-Swaiedi
  • Iraq Haider Ali Al-Ubaidee
  • Japan Isao Nishihashi
  • Japan Takumi Takagi
  • South Korea Jang Jong-pil
  • South Korea Song Bong-keun
  • Kuwait Abdulhadi Al-Anezi
  • Kuwait Abbas Gholoum
  • Oman Abu Bakar Al-Amri
  • Oman Rashid Al-Ghaithi
  • Qatar Yousuf Al-Shamari
  • Qatar Zahy Al-Shammari
  • Saudi Arabia Khalaf Al-Shammari
  • Saudi Arabia Yasir Al-Sultan
  • Sri Lanka Palitha Hemathunga
  • Syria Ali Ahmad
  • Thailand Tanate Chuchuen
  • Thailand Rawut Nakarit
  • United Arab Emirates Sabet Al-Ali
  • United Arab Emirates Ali Al-Nuaimi
  • Uzbekistan Andrey Tsapenko

Draw

The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams, with seeding based on their performance at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship. The draw took place at the Milliy Stadium at 12:00 PM, February 17.[10]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

Squads

Players born on or after 1 January 1999 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team have to register a squad of minimum 18 players and maximum 23 players, a minimum three of whom must be selected as goalkeepers (Regulations Article 26.3).[5]

Group stage

The top two teams of each group advance to the quarter-finals.

Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 9.3):[5]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

All times are local, UT (UTC+5).

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Uzbekistan (H) 3 2 1 0 8 1 +7 7 Knockout stage
2  Turkmenistan 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3  Iran 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 2
4  Qatar 3 0 2 1 3 9 6 2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Iran 1–1 Qatar
  • Shahriari 90'
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 965
Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)
Uzbekistan 1–0 Turkmenistan
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 28,670
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

Turkmenistan 2–1 Iran
  • Sapargulýyew 28' (pen.)
  • T. Çaryýew 80'
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 539
Referee: Alex King (Australia)
Qatar 0–6 Uzbekistan
Live Report
Stats Report

Uzbekistan 1–1 Iran
  • Jurakuziyev 22'
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Yousefi 62'
Attendance: 19,876
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Qatar 2–2 Turkmenistan
  • Al-Tairi 65', 73'
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 365
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Australia 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Knockout stage
2  Iraq 3 1 2 0 5 3 +2 5
3  Jordan 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4  Kuwait 3 0 0 3 1 6 5 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Australia 2–0 Kuwait
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 675
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
Jordan 1–1 Iraq
  • Aburiziq 57'
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Ramadhan 69'
Attendance: 417
Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

Iraq 1–1 Australia
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 492
Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan)
Kuwait 0–1 Jordan
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Aburiziq 68'
Attendance: 315
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Australia 1–0 Jordan
Live Report
Stats Report
Iraq 3–1 Kuwait
  • Mohammed 35'
  • Abdulridha 59'
  • Al-Baqer 82'
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Ayedh 12'
Attendance: 1,850
Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Korea 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7 Knockout stage
2  Vietnam 3 1 2 0 5 3 +2 5
3  Thailand 3 1 1 1 5 3 +2 4
4  Malaysia 3 0 0 3 1 9 8 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
South Korea 4–1 Malaysia
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 290
Referee: Saoud Ali Al-Adba (Qatar)
Thailand 2–2 Vietnam
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 278
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Vietnam 1–1 South Korea
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 255
Referee: Ahmad Faisal Al-Ali (Kuwait)
Malaysia 0–3 Thailand
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 212
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)

South Korea 1–0 Thailand
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 350
Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Saudi Arabia 3 2 1 0 7 0 +7 7 Knockout stage
2  Japan 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7
3  United Arab Emirates 3 1 0 2 3 4 1 3
4  Tajikistan 3 0 0 3 0 10 10 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
United Arab Emirates 1–2 Japan
  • Hassan 63'
Live Report
Stats Report
Saudi Arabia 5–0 Tajikistan
Live Report
Stats Report

Japan 0–0 Saudi Arabia
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 300
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)
Tajikistan 0–2 United Arab Emirates
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 185
Referee: Mongkolchai Pechsri (Thailand)

Saudi Arabia 2–0 United Arab Emirates
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 135
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro (Australia)
Japan 3–0 Tajikistan
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 375
Referee: Ali Shaban (Kuwait)

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Articles 10.1 and 10.3).[5]

Bracket

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
11 June – Pakhtakor
 
 
 Uzbekistan (p)2 (3)
 
15 June – Milliy
 
 Iraq2 (2)
 
 Uzbekistan2
 
12 June – Pakhtakor
 
 Japan0
 
 South Korea0
 
19 June – Milliy
 
 Japan3
 
 Uzbekistan0
 
11 June – Milliy
 
 Saudi Arabia2
 
 Australia1
 
15 June – Pakhtakor
 
 Turkmenistan0
 
 Australia0
 
12 June – Lokomotiv
 
 Saudi Arabia2 Third place play-off
 
 Saudi Arabia2
 
18 June – Pakhtakor
 
 Vietnam0
 
 Japan3
 
 
 Australia0
 

Quarter-finals

Australia 1–0 Turkmenistan
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 247
Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

Uzbekistan 2–2 (a.e.t.) Iraq
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Ramadhan 19' (pen.)
  • Ghaleb 68'
Penalties
3–2
Attendance: 32,700
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)

South Korea 0–3 Japan
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 529
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

Saudi Arabia 2–0 Vietnam
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 685
Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

Semi-finals

Australia 0–2 Saudi Arabia
Live Report
Stats Report

Uzbekistan 2–0 Japan
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

Third place play-off

Japan 3–0 Australia
Live Report
Stats Report

Final

Uzbekistan 0–2 Saudi Arabia
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 32,268
Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)

Winners

2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
First title

Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[9]

Top scorer Best player Best goalkeeper Fair-play award
South Korea Cho Young-wook[note 1] Saudi Arabia Ayman Yahya Saudi Arabia Nawaf Al-Aqidi  Saudi Arabia

Goalscorers

There were 81 goals scored in 32 matches, for an average of 2.53 goals per match.

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

  • Australia Kai Trewin (against Japan)
  • Iraq Hussein Ammar (against Uzbekistan)
  • Qatar Yousef Ayman (against Uzbekistan)
  • Turkmenistan Oraz Orazow (against Australia)

Tournament team rankings

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1  Saudi Arabia 6 5 1 0 13 0 +13 16 Champions
2  Uzbekistan (H) 6 3 2 1 12 5 +7 11 Runners-up
3  Japan 6 4 1 1 11 3 +8 13 Third place
4  Australia 6 3 1 2 5 6 1 10 Fourth place
5  South Korea 4 2 1 1 6 5 +1 7 Eliminated in
quarter-finals
6  Iraq 4 1 3 0 7 5 +2 6
7  Vietnam 4 1 2 1 5 5 0 5
8  Turkmenistan 4 1 1 2 4 5 1 4
9  Thailand 3 1 1 1 5 3 +2 4 Eliminated in
group stage
10  Jordan 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
11  United Arab Emirates 3 1 0 2 3 4 1 3
12  Iran 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 2
13  Qatar 3 0 2 1 3 9 6 2
14  Kuwait 3 0 0 3 1 6 5 0
15  Malaysia 3 0 0 3 1 9 8 0
16  Tajikistan 3 0 0 3 0 10 10 0
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Notes

  1. Playing fewer minutes than the other players but still scoring 3 goals, Cho Young-wook won the tournament's top scorer award.
  2. Fastest goal in the tournament

References

  1. "AFC rebrands age group championships to AFC Asian Cups". AFC. 2 October 2020.
  2. "Competition Regulations AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022" (PDF). The-AFC.com. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Uzbekistan set to be first-ever Central Asian host of AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2022". AFC. 18 March 2021.
  4. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2022". AFC.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 Competition Regulations". AFC.
  6. "New competition dates approved by AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 11 November 2020.
  7. "Latest update on AFC Futsal Championship and AFC U23 Asian Cup". AFC. 15 October 2020.
  8. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2021". AFC.
  9. 1 2 "AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 Technical Report" (PDF). the-afc. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  10. "AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 draw set to reveal thrilling encounters". AFC. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
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