Group A of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup took place from 12 to 22 January 2024. The group consisted of hosts, defending and eventual champions Qatar, China, tournament debutants Tajikistan, and Lebanon. The top two teams, Qatar and Tajikistan, advanced to the round of 16.
Teams Draw position Team Zone Method ofqualification Date ofqualification Finalsappearance Lastappearance Previous bestperformance FIFA Rankings April 2023 December 2023 A1 WAFF Hosts and Second round Group E winners 7 June 2021 11th 2019 Winners (2019) 61 58 A2 EAFF Second round Group A runners-up 15 June 2021 13th 2019 Runners-up (1984, 2004) 81 79 A3 CAFA Third round Group F winners 14 June 2022 1st — Debut 109 106 A4 WAFF Second round Group H runners-up 15 June 2021 3rd 2019 Group stage (2000, 2019) 99 107 Notes
Standings
Matches
Qatar vs Lebanon The match was originally scheduled to take place at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor. However, the AFC confirmed on 21 August 2023 that the match would be moved to Lusail Stadium, Lusail due to significant interest for fans.
This was the sides' second straight fixture in the tournament, having also met in the previous edition, which was won by Qatar 2–0. Qatar had never lost to Lebanon in their history, with ten wins and three draws in their thirteen previous meetings.
Akram Afif struck once late in each half and Almoez Ali scored another as Qatar cruised to a 3–0 win. Adding on to the seven out of seven matches won in their 2019 title-winning campaign, Qatar thus extended their streak to eight consecutive victories in the competition.
GK 22Meshaal BarshamCB 2 Ró-Ró CB 3 Al-Mahdi Ali MukhtarCB 12Lucas MendesRM 9 Yusuf Abdurisag CM 10Hassan Al-Haydos (c) CM 20Ahmed FatehiCM 6 Abdulaziz Hatem LM 4 Mohammed Waad CF 19Almoez Ali CF 11Akram AfifSubstitutions:MF 23Mostafa Meshaal FW 17Ismaeel Mohammad DF 14Homam Ahmed FW 7 Ahmed Alaaeldin MF 24Jassem Gaber Manager: Tintín Márquez GK 21Mostafa MatarCB 12Robert Alexander MelkiCB 18Kassem El ZeinCB 4 Nour MansourRM 6 Hussein ZeinCM 20Ali TneichCM 10Mohamad Haidar CM 16Walid Shour LM 5 Nassar Nassar CF 22Bassel Jradi CF 7 Hassan Maatouk (c) Substitutions:MF 26Hasan Srour FW 9 Hilal El-Helwe FW 11Omar Chaaban FW 24Gabriel Bitar FW 8 Soony Saad Manager: Miodrag Radulović
Man of the Match: Akram Afif (Qatar)
Assistant referees: Anton Shchetinin (Australia) Ashley Beecham (Australia) Fourth official: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea) Reserve assistant referee: Yoon Jae-yeol (South Korea) Video assistant referee: Shaun Evans (Australia) Assistant video assistant referees: Kate Jacewicz (Australia)
China vs Tajikistan This was the sides' first competitive meeting since the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification phase, a 0–0 draw. Their most recent meeting was a friendly match in 2019, with China securing a 1–0 victory. In fact, China had never lost to Tajikistan in all five of their previous encounters.
The match was mostly dominated by Tajikistan, who nevertheless failed to convert a single chance from their dominant display into a goal. Their best chance came in the 26th minute when Alisher Dzhalilov was left unmarked in the penalty area, but aimed his shot wide of the post. In the 81st minute, however, in one of China's rare attacking opportunities from a corner kick, Zhu Chenjie appeared to give his side a 1–0 lead from a header, but the goal was disallowed by the VAR system after Tyias Browning was judged to have interfered with play from an offside position.
GK 1Yan JunlingRB 5Zhang Linpeng (c)CB 2Tyias BrowningCB 3Zhu ChenjieLB 19Liu YangRM 21Liu BinbinCM 26Wang Qiuming CM 6 Wang Shangyuan LM 18Dai Wai Tsun CF 7Wu Lei CF 11Tan Long Substitutions:MF 8 Xu Xin FW 9 Zhang Yuning MF 23Lin Liangming MF 10Xie Pengfei Manager: Aleksandar Janković GK 1Rustam YatimovRB 5Manuchekhr SafarovCB 6Vakhdat KhanonovCB 2Zoir DzhuraboyevLB 19Akhtam NazarovCM 7Parvizdzhon Umarbayev (c) CM 14Alisher Shukurov RW 13Amadoni Kamolov AM 10Alisher DzhalilovLW 17Ehson Panjshanbe CF 9Rustam Soirov Substitutions:MF 20Alidzhoni Ayni FW 22Shahrom Samiev FW 15Shervoni Mabatshoev Manager: Petar Šegrt
Man of the Match: Liu Yang (China)
Assistant referees: Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia) Yasir Al-Sultan (Saudi Arabia) Fourth official: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia) Reserve assistant referee: Mohamad Zairul Bin Khalil Tan (Malaysia) Video assistant referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia) Assistant video assistant referees: Abdullah Jamali (Kuwait)
Lebanon vs China This was the first time the sides faced each other in the Asian Cup. Their most recent encounter dated back to 2009, having played home and away during 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification, with China emerging victorious in both fixtures. China had never lost against their West Asian counterpart in all five previous meetings, with four wins and one draw.
The opening minutes saw Liu Yang's attempt to deliver a high pass blocked, as no Chinese player managed to capitalize on the opportunity before Lebanon's Maher Sabra cleared the ball with a decisive header in the 19th minute. Lebanon, in turn, launched persistent attacks on China's goal, beginning with Hassan Maatouk's long-range shot in the 24th minute. A counterattack ensued, with Omar Chaaban's shot going just wide of the net in the 34th minute, followed by Khalil Khamis sending a header wide a minute later. In the 44th minute, a well-placed high ball from the left flank by Dai Wai Tsun led to Zhang Yuning's powerful shot, only for Lebanese keeper Mostafa Matar to deny it with a double save. Wu Lei attempted to seize the rebound, but Matar ultimately emerged victorious.
The first half concluded with Maatouk's long-distance attempt for Lebanon in stoppage time, hitting the crossbar of Yan Junling's net. As the second half unfolded, Lebanon continued to test China with long-range shots, including a notable 63rd-minute attempt by Hassan Srour also hitting the crossbar. However, China gradually asserted dominance in the later stages of the half. Despite both teams intensifying their efforts, the match concluded in a goalless draw.
The outcome of the match held significance for China, as it marked an unwanted record of failing to score in three consecutive Asian Cup matches, a feat previously unprecedented for the team in tournament history.
GK 21Mostafa MatarCB 13Khalil KhamisCB 4 Nour Mansour CB 18Kassem El ZeinRM 6 Hussein ZeinCM 25Hasan Srour CM 20Ali TneichLM 3 Maher SabraAM 22Bassel JradiCF 11Omar Chaaban CF 7 Hassan Maatouk (c) Substitutions:DF 12Robert Alexander Melki MF 10Mohamad Haidar FW 9 Hilal El-Helwe MF 16Walid Shour Manager: Miodrag Radulović GK 1 Yan JunlingRB 5 Zhang Linpeng (c)CB 2 Tyias BrowningCB 3 Zhu ChenjieRM 21Liu Binbin CM 8 Xu Xin CM 6 Wang ShangyuanCM 18Dai Wai TsunLM 19Liu YangCF 7 Wu Lei CF 9 Zhang Yuning Substitutions:FW 11Tan Long MF 23Lin Liangming MF 10Xie Pengfei MF 15Wu Xi Manager: Aleksandar Janković
Man of the Match: Mostafa Matar (Lebanon)
Assistant referees: Park Sang-jun (South Korea) Kim Kyoung-min (South Korea) Fourth official: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan) Reserve assistant referee: Andrey Tsapenko (Uzbekistan) Video assistant referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea) Assistant video assistant referees: Kim Hee-gon (South Korea)
Tajikistan vs Qatar This was the sides' first meeting in the tournament and their first in any competition for twelve years, having met in 2012 where Tajikistan beat the Qataris 2–1 in a friendly. This was also the first competitive fixture to occur between the two. Qatar had only lost once against the sole debutant of this competition after four matches, with the three other encounters ending in Qatari victories.
Tajikistan made a bright start by applying early pressure on to push Qatar on the defence, however a ball won in the midfield saw Almoez Ali seize the opportunity as he provided a clinical pass for Akram Afif, who then struck the net despite Rustam Yatimov's effort to secure Qatar's lead, which turned out to be the only goal of the match. In the 77th minute, in a failed attack from Qatar, Amadoni Kamolov quickly intercepted but his attempt was prevented by Mohammed Waad and Ahmed Al Ganehi, which he later fell and his feet hit the face of Al Ganehi; later VAR consultation resulted in Kamolov being dismissed from the match at the 81st minute, thus killing any hope of a Tajikistani comeback.
GK 1Rustam Yatimov RB 5Manuchekhr Safarov CB 6Vakhdat Khanonov CB 2Zoir DzhuraboyevLB 19Akhtam Nazarov (c) RM 13Amadoni Kamolov CM 7Parvizdzhon Umarbayev CM 14Alisher Shukurov LM 17Ehson Panjshanbe CF 9Rustam Soirov CF 10Alisher Dzhalilov Substitutions:FW 22Shahrom Samiev FW 15Shervoni Mabatshoev DF 3 Tabrezi Davlatmir MF 20Alidzhoni Ayni FW 25Nuriddin Khamrokulov Manager: Petar Šegrt GK 22Meshaal BarshamRB 15Bassam Al-RawiCB 5 Tarek SalmanCB 12Lucas MendesLB 4 Mohammed Waad DM 20Ahmed Fatehi CM 24Jassem Gaber CM 23Mostafa Meshaal RF 17Ismaeel Mohammad (c) CF 19Almoez AliLF 11Akram Afif Substitutions:FW 25Ahmed Al Ganehi MF 10Hassan Al-Haydos DF 16Boualem Khoukhi DF 2 Ró-Ró Manager: Tintín Márquez
Man of the Match: Akram Afif (Qatar)
Assistant referees: Jun Mihara (Japan) Takumi Takagi (Japan) Fourth official: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) Reserve assistant referee: Naomi Teshirogi (Japan) Video assistant referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan) Assistant video assistant referees: Yusuke Araki (Japan)
Qatar vs China This fixture marked the fifth time that the two sides met each other in the Asian Cup. Their most recent meeting in the competition saw the Qatar win 2–0 in 2011, a tournament also held in Qatar. However, the teams' most recent meeting in any competitive fixture occurred during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, where China defeated Qatar away 2–1; both matches took place at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The first half saw China aggressively attempt to score against a largely rotated Qatari side, but they failed to do so despite some big opportunities. This proved costly when at the 66th minute, from a perfectly combined corner kick, Hassan Al-Haydos produced a thunderous volley to score the only goal of the match as Qatar confirmed first place in the group with maximum points.
This result meant China had failed to score in four consecutive Asian Cup matches for the first time; following Syria's win over India in Group B, China were eliminated from the tournament, marking their worst-ever performance during participation. Meanwhile, Qatar managed to advance past the group stage for the second consecutive Asian Cup without conceding a goal.
GK 1 Saad Al-Sheeb (c) CB 15Bassam Al-Rawi CB 16Boualem KhoukhiCB 3 Al-Mahdi Ali MukhtarRM 9 Yusuf Abdurisag CM 8 Ali AssadallaCM 6 Abdulaziz Hatem CM 23Mostafa Meshaal LM 18Sultan Al-BrakeCF 7 Ahmed Alaaeldin CF 13Khalid Muneer Substitutions:GK 21Salah Zakaria FW 25Ahmed Al Ganehi MF 24Jassem Gaber GK 22Meshaal Barsham MF 10Hassan Al-Haydos FW 11Akram Afif Manager: Tintín Márquez GK 1 Yan JunlingCB 5 Zhang LinpengCB 2 Tyias BrowningCB 3 Zhu ChenjieRM 21Liu Binbin CM 15Wu Xi (c) CM 6 Wang Shangyuan LM 19Liu YangRF 20Wei Shihao CF 9 Zhang YuningLF 23Lin Liangming Substitutions:MF 10Xie Pengfei MF 8 Xu Xin MF 7 Wu Lei FW 11Tan Long DF 24Jiang Shenglong Manager: Aleksandar Janković
Man of the Match: Bassam Al-Rawi (Qatar)
Assistant referees: Abdulhadi Al-Anezi (Kuwait) Ahmad Abbas (Kuwait) Fourth official: Shaun Evans (Australia) Reserve assistant referee: Anton Shchetinin (Australia) Video assistant referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait) Assistant video assistant referees: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
Tajikistan vs Lebanon This was the sides' first ever meeting.