Palestine participated in their maiden AFC Asian Cup, the 2015 tournament, held in Australia. It was the first time Palestine qualified for the Asian Cup and in a major tournament, and this performance has been accredited for the rise of Palestine in the international arena, and the team is widely seen as the symbol of unity for Palestinians amidst the conflict between Hamas and Fatah over control of Palestinian Authority. Their second competition appearance came in 2019. Palestine qualified for the Asian Cup for the third consecutive time in 2023. It was the first ever time that Palestine qualified for the knockout round of the Asian Cup bringing hope to Palestinians amidst the Gaza war.
Overall record AFC Asian Cup recordQualification recordYearResultPosition** 1956 to 1996 Did not enterDid not enter 2000 Did not qualify410338 20046024311 2007511339 2011202011 2015 Group stage 16th 300311113832187 2019 Group stage 17th 30210314923498 2023 Round of 16 14th 411267116142010 2027Qualified622266TotalRound of 164/191013672146198198452 *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
By match AFC Asian Cup HistoryYearRoundScoreResult2015Round 1 0 – 4 LossRound 1 1 – 5 LossRound 1 0 – 2 Loss2019Round 1 0 – 0 DrawRound 1 0 – 3 LossRound 1 0 – 0 Draw2023Round 1 1 – 4 LossRound 1 1 – 1 DrawRound 1 3 – 0 WinRound of 16 1 – 2 Loss
Participation 2015 Australia
Group D
12 January 2015 4–0 Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle16 January 2015 1–5 AAMI Park, Melbourne20 January 2015 2–0 Canberra Stadium, Canberra
Palestine's maiden Asian Cup debut occurred in 2015 when they were grouped with Japan, Iraq and Jordan, and thus it was a significant moment for the Palestinian team. Their opening match was against reigning champions Japan which ended in a 0-4 loss. Palestine suffered another loss in their next match, 1–5 to Jordan, in which Jaka Ihbeisheh scored their first ever goal in the Asian Cup. Palestine ended their campaign by a 0–2 defeat to Iraq, thus ended last with zero point.
2019 UAE
Group B
Palestine made their second appearance in the tournament, having been drawn with two Levant rivals, Syria and Jordan, as well as for the second time in a row against defending champions, Australia. Palestine, in this tournament, had successfully achieved two points for the first time, with two draws against Syria and Jordan, both ending 0–0. However, their encounter against Australia ended with a 0–3 defeat, which meant that Palestine obtained two points and finished without a goal scored in the tournament. They were eliminated from the tournament as they did not have enough points to qualify as a third-placed team.
2023 Qatar
Group C
Ranking of third-placed teams
Knockout stage
Round of 16
Squads
References