10 records at Asian Cup 2023

The 2023 Asian Cup is one of the most exciting periods in the tournament's 68-year history, with many records being set.

Qatar's Asian Cup championship is in doubt

Why did Iraqi players receive a red card after celebrating a goal?

The Lebanese player kicked the Chinese midfielder in the face but was not punished

Qatar is the fifth team to successfully defend the Asian Cup championship after South Korea (1956, 1960), Saudi Arabia (1984, 1988), Japan (2000, 2004) and Iran (1968, 1972, 1976).

Qatar is on par with South Korea in the number of titles, behind only Saudi Arabia and Iran with three, and Japan with four. When the 2027 Asian Cup takes place in Saudi Arabia, Qatar faces the opportunity to equal Iran's record of three consecutive championships.

Jordan is the only team that finished third in the group stage but reached the final. Jordan ranked third in Group E behind Bahrain and South Korea. In the knock-out round, Bahrain lost to Japan in the 1/8 round, and Korea lost to Jordan in the semi-finals.

The 2023 Asian Cup also recorded many surprises when Tajikistan entered the quarterfinals for the first time in its first participation, including an impressive victory after a penalty shootout against the UAE in the 1/8 round. Meanwhile, Palestine, Indonesia and Syria also passed the group stage for the first time.

Qatar is the only team to win three individual titles in two consecutive seasons, including best player, top scorer, and best goalkeeper, in 2019 and 2023. At the 2023 Asian Cup, the best player The best and top scorer went to Akram Afif, while the goalkeeper title went to Meshaal Barsham. Four years ago, Almoez Ali scored a double like Afif, and the best goalkeeper was Saad Al-Sheeb.

Qatar was the first team to receive three penalties in a final, thereby helping Akram Afif become the first player to score three goals from penalties, the first player to score a hat-trick in the final Asian match. Cup.

Qatar has scored in 15 consecutive matches in the Asian Cup, behind South Korea (16) and Japan (22).

With 4 goals in the final, the 2023 Asian Cup has a total of 132 goals after 51 matches (average 2.59 goals/match) - the most in a single period, surpassing the previous record of 130 goals in 2019 in the UAE. .

Qatar scored the most goals with 14 times tearing the opponent's net. Behind are Jordan (13 goals), Iran, Japan (12) and South Korea (11). Qatar midfielder Akram Afif is the top scorer with eight goals. Behind are Aymen Hussein of Iraq (6 goals), Ayase Ueda of Japan and Yazan Al Naimat of Jordan (4).

Akram Afif is the first player to contribute more than 10 goals in two or more Asian Cups. At this year's tournament in Qatar, Afif scored eight goals and had three assists. At UAE 2019, he scored one and assisted 10 goals. The midfielder born in 1996 has participated in 22 goals since 2019, accounting for 67% of Qatar's goals. He also scored in two finals, both with penalties.

The 2023 Asian Cup recorded a record number of goals from penalties with 20 goals after 51 matches, an average of 0.39 penalties/match. The previous record was set in the UAE in 2019 with 15 goals in 51 matches. This record was created thanks to the application of VAR in all 51 matches in Qatar. Qatar benefited the most with four goals from penalties, followed by Iran and South Korea (3).

Japan is the only team to reach the quarterfinals nine times in a row, after losing 1-2 to Iran in this period. Since 1992, Japan has won the championship four times (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011), finished second once (2019), reached the semi-finals once (2007) and reached the quarter-finals three times (1996, 2015, 2023).

Iran and South Korea followed with eight consecutive quarterfinal appearances since 1996. Iraq had six consecutive quarterfinal appearances from 1996 to 2015. Meanwhile, Australia participated in the Asian Cup for the first time since 2007, and had five consecutive appearances. each period reached the quarterfinals.

Iran is the only team to lose in the semi-finals seven times in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2004, 2019, 2023. Four years ago, Iran lost to Japan 0-3. By this time, the team defeated Japan in the quarterfinals, then lost 2-3 to Qatar in the semi-finals. Iran is far ahead of the two following teams that have lost four times in the semi-finals: South Korea in 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011 and China in 1976, 1988, 1992, 2000.

The number of spectators coming to the stadium in Qatar was 1,509,496 people, creating a record in the 68-year history of the Asian Cup. Previously, the largest number was recorded in China in 2004 with 1.04 million people. The nine stadiums in Qatar have an average occupancy rate of 73%, up 13% compared to China 2004.

The final match between Qatar and Jordan at Lusail Stadium had the largest number of spectators with 86,492 people, followed by the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon at the same location with 82,490 people. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recorded a record number of spectators in a single match of 112,000 people in the 1976 final between Iran and Kuwait.