Group A of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup will take place from 12 to 22 January 2024.[1] The group consists of hosts Qatar, China, Tajikistan, and Lebanon.[2]
Teams
| Draw position | Team | Zone | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
FIFA Rankings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2023[nb 1] | December 2023 | ||||||||
| A1 |  Qatar | WAFF | Hosts and Second round Group E winners | 7 June 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Winners (2019) | 61 | 58 |
| A2 |  China | EAFF | Second round Group A runners-up | 15 June 2021 | 13th | 2019 | Runners-up (1984, 2004) | 81 | 79 |
| A3 |  Tajikistan | CAFA | Third round Group F winners | 14 June 2022 | 1st | — | Debut | 109 | 106 |
| A4 |  Lebanon | WAFF | Second round Group H runners-up | 15 June 2021 | 3rd | 2019 | Group stage (2000, 2019) | 99 | 107 |
Notes
- ↑ The rankings of April 2023 were used for seeding for the final draw.
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar (H) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | China |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Tajikistan |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | Possible knockout stage |
| 4 | Lebanon |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
Matches
Qatar vs Lebanon
The match was originally scheduled to take place at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor. However, the AFC confirmed in 21 August 2023 that the match would be moved to Lusail Stadium, Lusail, due to significant interest for fans.[3]
This was the sides' second straight fixture in the tournament, having also met in the previous edition, which was won by Qatar 2–0. Qatar had never lost to Lebanon in their history, with ten wins and three draws in their thirteen previous meetings.
Akram Afif struck once late in each half and Almoez Ali scored another as Qatar cruised to a 3–0 win. Adding on to the seven out of seven matches won in their 2019 title-winning campaign, Qatar thus extended their streak to eight consecutive victories in the competition.
          Qatar
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    Lebanon
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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China vs Tajikistan
This was their first competitive meeting since the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, where China drew Tajikistan 0–0. Their recent meeting was a friendly match in 2019 with China still being the best among the two with a scoreline of 1–0, as China had never lost to Tajikistan in all five previous encounters.
The match was mostly dominated by Tajikistan, but Tajikistan failed to convert a single chance from their dominant display to score a goal. Their best chance came in the 26th minute when Alisher Dzhalilov was left unmarked in the penalty area, but he dragged his shot wide to the right. In the 81st minute, however, in one of China's rare attacking opportunities from a corner kick, Zhu Chenjie appeared to give China a 1-0 lead from a header, but the goal was disallowed by VAR after Tyias Browning was judged to have interfered with the play from an offside position.
| China | 0–0 | Tajikistan |
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| Report |
   China
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    Tajikistan
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Lebanon vs China
This is their 1st fixture in the tournament and their recent match was way back in 2009 having played each other twice in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification where the Chinese got the better against Lebanon in both legs. China never lost against their West Asian counterpart in all five previous meetings.
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Tajikistan vs Qatar
This is their first meeting in the tournament and their first in 12 years having met in 2012 where Tajikistan beat the Qataris 2–1 in a friendly. This is also their first competitive fixture to occur between the two. Qatar only lost once against the sole debutant of this competition after four matches.
| Tajikistan | Match 14 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Qatar vs China
This fixture will mark the 5th time that they will meet each other in the Asian Cup. Their recent meeting in the competition saw the Qataris beat the Chinese 2–0 in 2011 edition which was also held in Qatar. However, their most recent meeting in any competitive fixture happened in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, where China defeated Qatar away 2–1; both games happened in Khalifa International Stadium.
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Tajikistan vs Lebanon
This will be their first-ever fixture against one another as they have never played a match before.
| Tajikistan | Match 26 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Discipline
Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:
- first yellow card: −1 point;
- indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
- direct red card: −3 points;
- yellow card and direct red card: −4 points;
Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.
| Team | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 | Points | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Qatar |
2 | –2 | |||||||||||
| China |
1 | –1 | |||||||||||
| Tajikistan |
2 | –2 | |||||||||||
| Lebanon |
2 | –2 | |||||||||||
References
- ↑ ""Match Schedule – AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023"" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ↑ "#AsianCup2023 Groups Finalised". the-AFC. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ↑ "#AsianCup2023 adds world-class Lusail Stadium to elevate fan experience". the-afc. Asian Football Confederation. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.