Qatar were placed in a tough group, which included hosts Uzbekistan, continental giants Iran and debutants Turkmenistan at the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup 2022, which will be held in Tashkent and Qarshi from June 1 to 19.
This tournament constitutes a prominent stop for future stars in Asia. It is being held for the first time in the Central Asian region, where Uzbekistan will host 32 matches.
Qatar’s best performance in the tournament was third-place finish in 2018, while failed to progress past the group stage two years later in Thailand. Their task will be much tougher this time around as they face 2018 Uzbekistan, who will also have home support.
Football powerhouses Australia, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, are in Group B while South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are in Group C. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Japan, and Tajikistan are in Group D.
Previous editions of the tournament witnessed the launch of the career of many Asian stars, including the Iranian Mahdi Tarimi, who currently plays for Porto and Qatar star Almoez Ali and Japan’s Takumi Minamino, the Liverpool player.
A total of 16 teams will participate in the tournament, divided into four groups, and the competition is expected to witness great excitement to qualify for the play-offs.
The tournament will witness the participation of 4 teams that have previously won the title along with nine teams that have reached the semi-finals before, while Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are participating for the first time in the finals.
