2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Qatar (Group A) Tajikistan (Group B) Bahrain (Group C) Uzbekistan (Group D) United Arab Emirates (Group E) Jordan (Group F) Tajikistan (Group G) Singapore (Group H) Kyrgyzstan (Group I) Mongolia (Group J) Japan (Group K) |
| Dates | 23 October – 2 November 2021[1] |
| Teams | 38 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 12 (in 10 host cities) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 50 |
| Goals scored | 146 (2.92 per match) |
| Attendance | 29,433 (589 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Park Jeong-in(5 goals) |
← 2020 2024 → | |
The 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification was an international men's under-23 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
A total of 16 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Uzbekistan who qualified automatically as hosts country.[2]
Due to non-compliance to doping regulations, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned Indonesia and Thailand from using their national flags in competitions, except during the Olympics.[3][4] It was reported that Indonesia prepared the flag of its federation, in the event its team was barred from using the national flag.[5]
Draw
[edit]Out of the 47 AFC member associations, a total of 42 teams entered the competition. The final tournament hosts Uzbekistan decided to participate in qualification. Their matches were not taken into account when calculating the group ranking and best second-placed teams among the groups.
The draw was held on 9 July 2021, 12:00 (UTC+5), in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.[6] The 42 teams were drawn into nine groups of four teams and two groups of three teams. For the draw, teams were divided into two zones:
- West Zone: 23 teams from West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia, to be drawn into five groups of four teams and one group of three teams (Groups A–F).
- East Zone: 19 teams from ASEAN and East Asia, to be drawn into four groups of four teams and one group of three teams (Groups G–K).
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship final tournament and qualification (overall ranking shown in parentheses). The eleven teams which indicated their intention to serve as qualification group hosts prior to the draw were drawn into separate groups.
On 29 July, North Korea withdrew from the competition due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, to better balance of the number of teams across all groups, the AFC conducted a draw on 11 August to move one team from Groups G to J, which was Hong Kong, who were placed in Group K.[7] On 11 October, China also withdrew from the competition for the same reason, leaving Group G with only two teams.[8]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Zone |
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| East Zone |
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- Notes
- Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.
- (H): Qualification group hosts determined before the draw
- (H)*: Qualification group hosts determined after the draw
- (Q): Final tournament hosts, automatically qualified regardless of qualification results
- (W): Withdrew after draw
| West Zone | |
|---|---|
| East Zone |
- Notes
- (X): Suspended
Draw result
[edit]The draw resulted in following groups.
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Bold indicates that the team has qualified for the final tournament.
Player eligibility
[edit]Players born on or after 1 January 1999 were eligible to compete in the tournament.[9]
Format
[edit]In each group, teams played each other once at a centralized venue. The eleven group winners and the four best runners-up qualified for the final tournament.
In group G, after the withdrawal of Brunei and China PR, the two teams left (Australia and Indonesia) played each other twice. The winner qualified for the final tournament, with the loser eliminated.[10][11][12]
Tiebreakers
[edit]Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings.
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
- Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
- Drawing of lots.
Groups
[edit]All matches were played between 23 October and 2 November 2021.
Group A
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Qatar (H)
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 7 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Syria
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 5 | |
| 3 |  Yemen
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 |  Sri Lanka
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | −13 | 0 |
| Yemen | 3–0 | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group B
[edit]- All matches were held in Tajikistan.
- Times listed are UTC+5.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Iran
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Tajikistan (H)
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Lebanon
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Nepal
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | −14 | 0 |
| Tajikistan | 1–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Nepal | 0–6 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Iran | 3–2 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Group C
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Iraq
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Bahrain (H)
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Maldives
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Afghanistan[a]
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
| Iraq | 3–0 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group D
[edit]- All matches were held in Uzbekistan.
- Times listed are UTC+5.
- Uzbekistan already qualified to the final tournament as host country, so their matches were not taken into account when calculating the group ranking.
- Originally Kuwait was supposed to host group D; however, the AFC changed host country due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. On 19 October 2021, Uzbekistan was named replacement host.[14]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kuwait
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Saudi Arabia
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Bangladesh
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 0–1 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Ayedh  19' |
Uzbekistan  | 2–2 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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| Kuwait | 2–1 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Uzbekistan | 6–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 3–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
| Kuwait | 1–5 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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Group E
[edit]- All matches were held in the United Arab Emirates
- Times listed are UTC+4.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United Arab Emirates (H)
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  India
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4[a] | |
| 3 |  Kyrgyzstan
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4[a] | |
| 4 |  Oman
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1–2 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Oman | 1–2 | India |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0–1 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| India | 0–0 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 4–2 | ||
Group F
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jordan (H)
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Turkmenistan
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Palestine
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
| Turkmenistan | 0–1 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Palestine | 1–3 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
Group G
[edit]- Both matches were held in Tajikistan.
- Times listed are UTC+5.
- After the withdrawal of Brunei and China PR, the remaining teams left played each other twice. The winner qualified for the final tournament, with the loser eliminated.[10][11][12]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Indonesia
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 | |
| 3 |  China[a]
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
| 4 |  Brunei[b]
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- ^ China PR withdrew from the competition on October 11 due to COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
- ^ Brunei withdrew from the competition on September 3.[15]
Group H
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Singapore (H)
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4 | |
| 3 |  East Timor
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 4 | |
| 4 |  Philippines
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
| South Korea | 3–0 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| East Timor | 0–6 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Philippines | 0–1 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| East Timor | 1–0 | Philippines |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| South Korea | 5–1 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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Group I
[edit]- All matches were to be held in Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), but AFC determined that the host would be changed,[16] with Kyrgyzstan as the new host.
- Times listed are UTC+6.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vietnam
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Myanmar
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2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Chinese Taipei
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| Chinese Taipei | 0–1 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Lê Văn Xuân 82' |
| Myanmar | 1–0 | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Vietnam | 1–0 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group J
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Malaysia
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 7 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Thailand
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | |
| 3 |  Laos
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Mongolia (H)
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 |
Group K
[edit]- All matches were held in Japan.
- Times listed are UTC+9.
- DPR Korea withdrew from the competition on 29 July. They were replaced by a team initially drawn in Group G–J (excluding host countries and teams from Pot 1), which was determined by a draw on 11 August to be Hong Kong.[7]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japan (H)
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 |  Cambodia
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Hong Kong
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | |
| 4 |  North Korea
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[7] |
Ranking of second-placed teams
[edit]Due to groups having different numbers of teams, the results against the fourth-placed teams in four-team groups were not considered for this ranking.
Exceptions:
- In Group D, the results against the host country Uzbekistan were not considered.
- In Group G, the runners-up results were not considered for this ranking, as the group contained only two teams.[10][11][12]
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J | Thailand
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 | Final tournament |
| 2 | D | Saudi Arabia
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | F | Turkmenistan
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 4 | B | Tajikistan
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | |
| 5 | C | Bahrain
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | |
| 6 | I | Myanmar
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 7 | K | Cambodia
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 8 | A | Syria
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 9 | E | India
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 1 | |
| 10 | H | Singapore
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
Source: AFC
Notes:
Notes:
Goalscorers
[edit]There were 114 individuals who scored at least 1 goal.
There were 146 goals scored in 50 matches, for an average of 2.92 goals per match.
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Jacob Italiano- Marc Tokich
Abbas Al-Asfoor- Adnan Fawaz
- Mohammed Abdul Qayoom
Lim Pisoth- Min Ratanak
Rahim Ali- Vikram Pratap Singh
Taufik Hidayat- Witan Sulaeman
Milad Kor
Hasan Abdulkareem- Moamel Abdulridha
- Muntadher Mohammed
- Sohaib Raad
- Ahmed Sartip
Yuta Goke- Hidemasa Koda
- Kuryu Matsuki
- Jiro Nakamura
Yazan Al-Naimat- Ali Olwan
Abdulaziz Naji
Amir Japarov- Arlen Sharshenbekov
Mohamad Haidar- Mohamad Nasser
Baljinnyam Batbold- Oyunbold Oyuntuya
Kaung Myat Thu
Arshad Al-Alawi- Waleed Al-Musalmi
Wajdi Mohammed- Bader Mousa
Yusuf Abdurisag- Naif Al-Hadhrami
- Khaled Mohammed
- Ahmed Suhail
- Mohammed Waad
Saud Abdulhamid- Firas Al-Buraikan
- Hamed Al-Ghamdi
- Ziyad Al-Johani
- Abdulmohsen Al-Qahtani
- Ayman Yahya
Nur Adam Abdullah- Jordan Emaviwe
Cho Sang-jun- Go Jae-hyeon
- Kim Chan
- Kim Se-yun
- Lee Kyu-hyuk
- Oh Hyun-gyu
Mohammad Al-Hallak- Mohammad Malta
Muhammadali Azizboev- Ahmadkhon Emomali
- Shervoni Mabatshoev
- Ehson Panjshanbe
- Rustam Soirov
- Sharafdzhon Solehov
- Islom Zoirov
Thanawat Suengchitthawon- Korawich Tasa
Elias- Paulo Gali
- Zenivio
Welmyrat Ballakow
Khalid Al-Balochi- Marwan Fahad
- Abdulla Idrees
- Ali Saleh
Eldorbek Begimov- Abbosbek Fayzullayev
- Otabek Jurakuziyev
- Alisher Odilov
- Diyorbek Rakhimkulov
- Asliddin Toshtemirov
Hồ Thanh Minh- Lê Văn Xuân
Omar Al-Dahi- Nasser Al-Gahwashi
- Emad Al-Godaimah
1 own goal
Phoutthavong Sangvilay (against Mongolia)- Bat-Orgil Gerelt-Od (against Laos)
- Yusuf Abdurisag (against Syria)
- Bader Munshi (against Kuwait)
- Jacob Mahler (against South Korea)
Abdul Basith (against Syria)
Source: AFC
Qualified teams
[edit]The following teams qualified for the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous qualifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uzbekistan |
Hosts | 18 March 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Qatar |
Group A winners | 31 October 2021 | 3 (2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Iran |
Group B winners | 31 October 2021 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2020) |
| Iraq |
Group C winners | 31 October 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Kuwait |
Group D winners | 30 October 2021 | 1 (2013) |
| United Arab Emirates |
Group E winners | 30 October 2021 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2020) |
| Jordan |
Group F winners | 31 October 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Australia |
Group G winners | 29 October 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| South Korea |
Group H winners | 31 October 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Vietnam |
Group I winners | 2 November 2021 | 3 (2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Malaysia |
Group J winners | 31 October 2021 | 1 (2018) |
| Japan |
Group K winners | 28 October 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Thailand |
1st best runners-up | 31 October 2021 | 3 (2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Saudi Arabia |
2nd best runners-up | 2 November 2021 | 4 (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
| Turkmenistan |
3rd best runners-up | 31 October 2021 | 0 (Debut) |
| Tajikistan |
4th best runners-up | 2 November 2021 | 0 (Debut) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 Qualifiers – Match Schedule". AFC. 9 July 2021.
- ^ "Uzbekistan set to be first-ever Central Asian host of AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2022". AFC. 18 March 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Owen (8 October 2021). "WADA confirms NADOs of Indonesia, Thailand and North Korea non-compliant". Inside the Games. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ Kotami, Suwicha (22 October 2021). "เอเอฟซีเผยแนวทางห้าม "ช้างศึกU23" ใช้ธงชาติไทย-เปิดเพลงปกติ" [AFC reveals guidelines for banning "War Elephants U23" from using the Thai flag – national anthem still to be played]. Goal.com Thailand (in Thai). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ Saputra, Hervin (24 October 2021). "Anticipating Sanctions, PSSI Prepares Flags for U-23 Asian Cup Qualification". 1 News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 challengers to identify opponents". AFC. 8 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Latest update on the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 – Qualifiers". AFC. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ a b "China quits AFC U23 Championship". www.news.cn. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022 competition regulations". AFC.
- ^ a b c Yến Hoàng (16 October 2021). "U23 Trung Quốc bỏ giải, U23 Việt Nam được hưởng lợi". Voice of Vietnam (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 16 October 2021.
- ^ a b c "Timnas Indonesia U-23 Siap Tempur Melawan Australia (Indonesian U-23 National Team Ready to Fight Against Australia)". Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021.
- ^ a b c "Official match schedule confirmed for AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers". Football Australia. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021.
- ^ Lalzoy, Najibullah (25 October 2021). "Afghanistan's chaos, football U23 team missed Asia Cup matches". Khaama Press News Agency. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ "কুয়েত নয়, উজবেকিস্তানে খেলবে বাংলাদেশ অনূর্ধ্ব-২৩ দল". Daily Sports BD (in Bengali). 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Brunei Darussalam Fix Mundur, Timnas Indonesia U-23 Tinggal Bersaing dengan Australia dan China di Kualifikasi Piala AFC U-23 2022" (in Indonesian). Bola.com. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "Taiwan loses right to host Asian Cup qualifiers due to COVID-19 rules". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.