January 12, Beijing time.
The Qatar Men's Asian Cup is about to kick off.
This will be the third time Qatar has hosted the Asian Cup.
It is also after Qatar successfully hosted the 2022 World Cup.
Once again, a major international football event will be held.
There are 24 teams in 6 groups.
will fight for their respective honors.
The opening match will be played at the Lusail Stadium on the evening of the 12th.
Defending champions Qatar take on Lebanon.
In the 2019 Asian Cup.
Qatar defeated Japan in the final to win the title.
Almuz Ali won the title of Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player.
Partner Afif was elected the assist king of the tournament.
The current Qatar team still has a number of veterans from the previous year.
They don't lack tournament experience.
Ali (center), the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 Asian Cup, returns to Doha, the capital of Qatar, and is greeted with a grand welcome. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Niku) and the Lebanese team as the fourth pot team.
The overall strength is relatively limited.
The team also changed its coach ahead of the Asian Cup.
The specifics need to be tested.
In terms of strength.
It is not difficult for the host to get off to a good start.
However, the Qatar team changed their coach before this Asian Cup.
Spaniard López took office.
Recently, the team has suffered another injury problem.
A few days ago, it was reversed by the Jordanian team 1:2 in the warm-up match.
It puts a question mark over the form of this Qatari team.
For the Chinese team.
This Asian Cup journey will be quite topical.
At the node where anti-corruption in football has received high attention.
The term "national football" itself is a hot topic.
In this competition, the Chinese team and the Qatar team
Tajikistan and Lebanon are in Group A.
Aim to finish second in the group.
It is a more realistic goal for the Chinese team.
The Chinese team arrived in Doha on the afternoon of January 7.
The first training session was carried out.
It is mainly based on recovery and adaptation.
Not long ago, they lost 0:2 to Oman in the warm-up match.
Lost 1:2 to Hong Kong, China.
The Chinese team has been under pressure again.
But head coach Jankovic.
said in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency.
When we arrived in Doha.
No matter what you did in the warm-up game.
will all start from scratch".
In November last year.
In the two World Qualifiers against Thailand and South Korea.
The Chinese team played some bright performances.
Jankovic said.
The experience against Thailand and South Korea shows.
We have a lot of potential and capacity".
According to the rules. The top two teams from the six groups qualified directly.
The four best group finishes are also qualified for the round of 16.
China will face Tajikistan on January 13.
The opponent is ranked 106th in the world and 19th in Asia.
In terms of player strength, the Chinese team should win.
But on the pitch there is only "talking with the ball".
As for the final results, Chinese fans may have been indifferent.
Playing with spirit is what everyone wants to see the most.
No doubt. The Japanese team and the South Korean team are currently represented.
The top level of Asian football.
Japan are in Group D with Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam.
South Korea is in Group E with Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain.
For these two star teams, it seems unacceptable to miss the final.
They all have a number of players playing in the Europa League.
Take the South Korean team as an example, in the AFC official inventory recently.
Among the 5 young players to watch.
22-year-old South Korean midfielder Lee Gang-in was selected.
The player who plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
16 appearances this season, 13 starts.
It shows his ability and importance.
In addition, famous generals such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Huang Hee-chan pressed the formation.
The Korean team is both youthful and sophisticated.
The picture shows the starting players of the South Korean team taking a group photo before the match in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Round of 36 held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province on November 21, 2023. According to the schedule.
If both teams finish as group winners.
You won't face each other until the final.
For the South Korean team.
Iran in Group C.
will be their biggest opponent on the road to the final.
Iranian players don't have that much "star flavor".
But the results are good enough.
It is currently ranked second in Asia.
In October last year.
They had a 4-0 win over Qatar in a friendly match.
In November, it was in the World Cup qualifiers again.
Defeated the Hong Kong team 4:0
2:2 draw with Uzbekistan.
If you can't put in a 100% attitude.
It will be difficult for the South Korean team to climb over this mountain.
Reporter: Ji Jiadong.
*: Sun Fanyue, Liang Xu, Xiao Yi.
Nine, Mao Siqian.
Editors: Lu Yuchen, Gao Meng, Huang Xuguo.