Qatar to host 2023 Asian Cup

Qatar will host the 2023 Asian Cup football tournament in place of original hosts China after seeing off rival bids from South Korea and Indonesia.

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This announcement came after China withdrew earlier this year because of its “zero-COVID” policy.

The continental championships were awarded to China in 2019 but the world’s most populous country relinquished the rights earlier this year as it pursued a zero-COVID policy.

The Asian Cup is held every four years. Qatar won the tournament’s last edition, which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

This is the third time Qatar will be hosting the tournament, having staged it in 1988 and 2011.

In June 2019, China was named host for the 2023 event but they withdrew in May this year, leaving the AFC scrambling to find a new host for its flagship men’s 24-team football tournament.

South Korea and Indonesia were the two other countries in the running after China’s withdrawal, but Qatar got the nod on Monday.

The Gulf country has built seven new stadiums and upgraded another around the capital Doha to host the 32-team World Cup.

No dates have been announced yet for the 2023 Asian Cup by the AFC.

AFC chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa hailed Qatar’s “world-class infrastructure and unrivaled hosting capabilities” and said Qatar is ready to put on the event despite the short lead time to prepare.

“Given the short lead time in preparation, we know that the hard work begins immediately but with their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivaled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia’s crown jewel,” he said in a statement.