2022_AFC_U-23_Championship
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
International football competition
The 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup was the 5th edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup (prior to 2021 known as the AFC U-23 Championship[1]), a biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. The players had to be born on or after 1 January 1999.[2]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Uzbekistan |
| Dates | 1–19 June |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Saudi Arabia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Uzbekistan |
| Third place |  Japan |
| Fourth place |  Australia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 81 (2.53 per match) |
| Attendance | 154,134 (4,817 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Yuito Suzuki Ayman Yahya Cho Young-wook Suphanat Mueanta Jasurbek Jaloliddinov (3 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Ayman Yahya |
| Best goalkeeper | Nawaf Al-Aqidi |
| Fair play award | Saudi Arabia |
← 2020 2024 → | |
The tournament was originally going to be held in Uzbekistan from 6–24 January 2022, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and rescheduled to 1–19 June 2022.[3][4] A total of 16 teams competed in the tournament.[5]
South Korea were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Japan in the quarter-finals, failing to finish among the top 4 for the first time. Saudi Arabia became the fifth different country to win the tournament, beating hosts Uzbekistan in the final.
Originally, it was determined that China would host the tournament, as a preparatory competition ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[6] However, they withdrew from hosting the tournament in October 2020 due to scheduling conflicts, stadium completion timelines ahead of other international events and challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] On 18 March 2021, the AFC announced that Uzbekistan will host the tournament.[3]
Qualification matches were played between 23 October and 2 November 2021.[8]
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uzbekistan | Hosts | 5th | Champions (2018) |
 Qatar | Group A winners | 4th | Third place (2018) |
 Iran | Group B winners | 4th | Quarter-finals (2016) |
 Iraq | Group C winners | 5th | Champions (2013) |
 Kuwait | Group D winners | 2nd | Group stage (2013) |
 United Arab Emirates | Group E winners | 4th | Quarter-finals (2013, 2016, 2020) |
 Jordan | Group F winners | 5th | Third place (2013) |
| Australia | Group G winners | 5th | Third place (2020) |
| South Korea | Group H winners | 5th | Champions (2020) |
 Vietnam | Group I winners | 4th | Runners-up (2018) |
 Malaysia | Group J winners | 2nd | Quarter-finals (2018) |
| Japan | Group K winners | 5th | Champions (2016) |
| Thailand | 1st best runners-up | 4th | Quarter-finals (2020) |
| Saudi Arabia | 2nd best runners-up | 5th | Runners-up (2013, 2020) |
 Turkmenistan | 3rd best runners-up | 1st | Debut |
 Tajikistan | 4th best runners-up | 1st | Debut |
| Tashkent | Qarshi | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milliy Stadium | Pakhtakor Stadium | Lokomotiv Stadium | Markaziy Stadium | |
| Capacity: 34,000 | Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 8,000 | Capacity: 21,000 | |
The following referees and assistant referees were appointed for the tournament. Video assistant referees were used in this tournament.[9]
- Referees
Jonathan Barreiro- Shaun Evans
- Alex King
Fu Ming- Ma Ning
Ali Sabah- Mohanad Qasim Sarray
Yusuke Araki- Jumpei Iida
- Yudai Yamamoto
Kim Hee-gon- Kim Woo-sung
Ahmad Faisal Al-Ali- Ammar Ashkanani
- Ali Shaban
Ahmed Al-Kaf
Abdulla Al-Marri- Saoud Ali Al-Adba
- Salman Ahmad Falahi
Mohammed Al-Hoaish- Majed Al Shamrani
- Khalid Al-Turais
Muhammad Taqi
Hettikamkanamge Perera
Hanna Hattab
Mongkolchai Pechsri- Sivakorn Pu-udom
Omar Al-Ali- Yahya Al-Mulla
- Adel Al-Naqbi
Aziz Asimov- Akhrol Riskullaev
- Rustam Lutfullin
- Ilgiz Tantashev
- Assistant referees
- Owen Goldrick
- George Lakrindis
- Cao Yi
- Shi Xiang
- Watheq Al-Swaiedi
- Haider Ali Al-Ubaidee
- Isao Nishihashi
- Takumi Takagi
- Jang Jong-pil
- Song Bong-keun
- Abdulhadi Al-Anezi
- Abbas Gholoum
- Abu Bakar Al-Amri
- Rashid Al-Ghaithi
- Yousuf Al-Shamari
- Zahy Al-Shammari
- Khalaf Al-Shammari
- Yasir Al-Sultan
- Palitha Hemathunga
- Ali Ahmad
- Tanate Chuchuen
- Rawut Nakarit
- Sabet Al-Ali
- Ali Al-Nuaimi
- Andrey Tsapenko
The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams, with seeding based on their performance at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship. The draw took place at the Milliy Stadium at 12:00 PM, February 17.[10]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Players born on or after 1 January 1999 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team have to register a squad of minimum 18 players and maximum 23 players, a minimum three of whom must be selected as goalkeepers (Regulations Article 26.3).[5]
The top two teams of each group advance to the quarter-finals.
- Tiebreakers
Teams are 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 are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 9.3):[5]
- 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 are 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.
All times are local, UT (UTC+5).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan (H) |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Turkmenistan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Iran |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Qatar |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 |
| Iran | 1–1 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
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| Turkmenistan | 2–1 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
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| Uzbekistan | 1–1 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
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| Qatar | 2–2 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
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Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Iraq |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Jordan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Kuwait |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 |
| Australia | 2–0 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
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| Jordan | 1–1 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
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| Iraq | 1–1 | Australia |
|---|---|---|
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| Iraq | 3–1 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
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Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Vietnam |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Thailand |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Malaysia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 |
| South Korea | 4–1 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
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| Malaysia | 0–3 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
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| Vietnam | 2–0 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
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Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Japan |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 | |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tajikistan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1–2 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
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| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
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In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Articles 10.1 and 10.3).[5]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 11 June – Pakhtakor | ||||||||||
| Uzbekistan (p) | 2 (3) | |||||||||
| 15 June – Milliy | ||||||||||
| Iraq | 2 (2) | |||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 2 | |||||||||
| 12 June – Pakhtakor | ||||||||||
| Japan | 0 | |||||||||
| South Korea | 0 | |||||||||
| 19 June – Milliy | ||||||||||
| Japan | 3 | |||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 0 | |||||||||
| 11 June – Milliy | ||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | |||||||||
| Australia | 1 | |||||||||
| 15 June – Pakhtakor | ||||||||||
| Turkmenistan | 0 | |||||||||
| Australia | 0 | |||||||||
| 12 June – Lokomotiv | ||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | Third place play-off | ||||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | |||||||||
| 18 June – Pakhtakor | ||||||||||
| Vietnam | 0 | |||||||||
| Japan | 3 | |||||||||
| Australia | 0 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Australia | 1–0 | Turkmenistan |
|---|---|---|
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| Uzbekistan | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
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| Penalties | ||
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3–2 |
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| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
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Semi-finals
| Uzbekistan | 2–0 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
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Third place play-off
Final
| 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup |
|---|
 Saudi Arabia First title |
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[9]
| Top scorer | Best player | Best goalkeeper | Fair-play award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cho Young-wook[note 1] |
Ayman Yahya |
Nawaf Al-Aqidi |
Saudi Arabia |
There were 81 goals scored in 32 matches, for an average of 2.53 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
- Wakaa Ramadhan
- Mao Hosoya
- Kein Sato
Mohammad Aburiziq- Osamah Al-Tairi
- Firas Al-Buraikan
- Moteb Al-Harbi
Begençmyrat Myradow- Ulugbek Khoshimov
- Khusayin Norchaev
1 goal
- Louis D'Arrigo
- Alou Kuol
- Ramy Najjarine
- Jay Rich-Baghuelou
Alireza Bavieh- Erfan Shahriari
- Aria Yousefi
- Hasan Abdulkareem
- Moamel Abdulridha
- Mohammed Al-Baqer
- Ammar Ghaleb
- Muntadher Mohammed
- Shota Fujio
- Kuryu Matsuki
- Taika Nakashima
- Yousef Ayedh
Mukhairi Ajmal- Ahmed Al Ganehi
- Saud Abdulhamid
- Hussain Al-Eisa
- Ahmed Al-Ghamdi
- Hamad Al-Yami
- Haitham Asiri
- Abdullah Radif
- Go Jae-hyeon
- Kim Tae-hwan
- Lee Sang-min
- Ben Davis
- Channarong Promsrikaew
- Teymur Çaryýew
- Arzuwguly Sapargulýyew
- Abdelaziz Al-Bloushi
- Yaser Hassan
- Mansoor Saeed
- Khojimat Erkinov
- Ruslanbek Jiyanov
- Otabek Jurakuziyev
Bùi Hoàng Việt Anh- Nguyễn Văn Tùng
- Nhâm Mạnh Dũng
- Phan Tuấn Tài[note 2]
- Vũ Tiến Long
1 own goal
- Kai Trewin (against Japan)
- Hussein Ammar (against Uzbekistan)
- Yousef Ayman (against Uzbekistan)
- Oraz Orazow (against Australia)
As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | +13 | 16 | Champions |
| 2 | Uzbekistan (H) |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 11 | Runners-up |
| 3 | Japan |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 13 | Third place |
| 4 | Australia |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 10 | Fourth place |
| 5 | South Korea |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 6 | Iraq |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 7 | Vietnam |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8 | Turkmenistan |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | |
| 9 | Thailand |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 10 | Jordan |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 11 | United Arab Emirates |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 12 | Iran |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |
| 13 | Qatar |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 | |
| 14 | Kuwait |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | |
| 15 | Malaysia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 | |
| 16 | Tajikistan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 |
| Country | Broadcast network | Channel | Online platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Network 10 | 10 Sports | My Football |
| Bangladesh | East West Media Group | T Sports | T Sports |
| China | iQIYI, Migu Video | iQIYI, Migu Video | |
| Chinese Taipei | ELTA TV | ELTA HD | ELTA Sports |
| Thailand | True Digital Group | TrueID | |
| Hong Kong | Aser Ventures | Eleven Sports | Eleven Sports |
| Philippines | Aser Ventures | Eleven Sports | Eleven Sports |
| Singapore | Aser Ventures | Eleven Sports | Eleven Sports |
| India | Jio | Jio TV | JioTV |
| Indonesia | MNC Media | MNCTV, RCTI, iNews | MNCTV OFFICIAL, MNC Media |
| Iraq | MENA | Al Rabiaa TV | Al Rabiaa TV |
| Japan | DAZN Group | DAZN | |
| South Korea | TVING Corporation, Coupang | Coupang Play | |
| Macau | MPLUS | MPLUS | |
| Malaysia | Astro | TV1, TV2, Astro Arena, Astro Arena HD | Stadium Astro, MyKlik, Astro Go |
| Myanmar | Canal+ | Canal+ Sports | Canal+ Plus |
| Qatar | BeIN Media Group | beIN Sports | beIN Sports |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi Sports Company | SSC | Shaid MBC |
| Uzbekistan |
- "AFC rebrands age group championships to AFC Asian Cups". AFC. 2 October 2020.
- "Competition Regulations AFC U23 Asian Cup 2022" (PDF). The-AFC.com. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- "Uzbekistan set to be first-ever Central Asian host of AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2022". AFC. 18 March 2021.
- "New competition dates approved by AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 11 November 2020.
- "Latest update on AFC Futsal Championship and AFC U23 Asian Cup". AFC. 15 October 2020.
- "AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 Technical Report" (PDF). the-afc. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- "AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 draw set to reveal thrilling encounters". AFC. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- AFC U23 Asian Cup, the-AFC.com
- Competition Regulation (Archived)