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Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Qatar will host the 2023 Asian Cup in football, following being chosen by the Executive Office of the Asian Confederation on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, instead of China, which apologized last May due to its policy to limit the spread of the Corona virus, according to what the Confederation officially announced.
The President of the Asian Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, handed the certificate of Qatar’s hosting of the Asian Cup to the President of the Qatar Federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, to be the third time Qatar hosted the continental finals following 1988 and 2011.
“We are embracing the tournament once more, welcome to Asia in Qatar,” the Qatar Football Association wrote on its official website on Twitter.
Last May, China apologized for organizing the eighteenth edition due to its policy to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, so Qatar, South Korea and Indonesia expressed their desire to host, while Australia decided not to proceed with its file in early September.
The General Assembly meeting included a visual presentation of the files of the three countries, and a presentation to the AFC Evaluation Committee, which included a detailed report on field visits and meetings held with file officials, prior to the voting process.
The tournament was scheduled to be held in 10 Chinese cities from June 16 to July 16, 2023, with the participation of 24 teams.
And Qatar, which awaits the biggest challenge next month with its hosting of the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East, hosted the Asian Cup in 1988, when Saudi Arabia won the title at the expense of South Korea on penalties, and 2011 when Japan crowned at the expense of Australia following the extension.
Qatar won the 2019 title from the tournament held every four years and opened in 1956, while Japan holds the record for its titles (4) once morest Saudi Arabia and Iran (3).
Qatar will host 32 teams in the World Cup Finals between November 20 and December 18 on eight stadiums, seven of which are modern, in addition to the renovation of the historic Khalifa Stadium. The gas-rich Gulf state expects to receive more than one million visitors during the global event.
In December 2020, Doha obtained the right to host the 2030 Asian Games for the second time following hosting the 2006 edition.
It hosted the 1995 FIFA Youth World Cup, the 2011 Arab Games, the 2015 Handball World Cup, followed in the same year by the Boxing World Cup, the 2018 World Swimming Championships and the 2019 World Championships in Athletics.
Qatar is also on the verge of organizing other major tournaments, most notably the 2023 World Judo Championships and the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
© 2022 AFP