PANAJI: The AFC Asian Cup is Asian football's "grandest ever showpiece" and organisers are confident that the tournament will attract fans in droves after Asian teams did well at last year's FIFA World Cup.
Asian countries forced the bigwigs to take notice at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with three teams making it to the knockout stage and two others punching above their weight.
Japan topped the group that included former world champions Spain and Germany, while South Korea and Australia also made it to the knockout stage after finishing second in their groups. Saudi Arabia did not qualify for the last 16 but started with a shocking win against eventual champions Argentina and Iran relegated Wales to the bottom.
Now, all eyes will be on the Asian Cup which will be played in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, 2024.
"Qatar is undoubtedly one of the best destinations in the world of sport and together with the Local Organising Committee, the AFC is committed towards bringing to life its vision of staging a truly world-class competition for our players, teams and fans," said Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John.
Tickets for the AFC Asian Cup are already available online for purchase. Fans can book seats for any of the 51 matches which includes the opening and final at Lusail Stadium, the 88,000-seat venue that hosted the historic World Cup final between Argentina and France.
"We anticipate that there will be tremendous interest in the tournament, which will see the best players from across Asia compete for glory," said Jassim Al Jassim, CEO of local organising committee.
Qatar will host the tournament for a third time, having hosted it twice before in 1988 and 2011.
Fans from India and 94 other countries will be granted visa on arrival or with the unified visa process.
"The launch of ticket sales marks an important milestone for us as Qatar gets ready to welcome fans from around the world once again," said Hassan Al Kuwari, marketing and communications executive director.
India have qualified for the Asian Cup 2023 and have been grouped with World Cuppers Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria.
Tickets can be purchased online through the official ticketing website (http://asiancup2023.qa).
