2022_WAFF_U-23_Championship
2022 WAFF U-23 Championship
International football competition
The 2022 WAFF U-23 Championship was the third edition of the WAFF U-23 Championship the international age-restricted football championship organized by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) for the men's under-23 national teams of West Asia. A total of six teams competed in the tournament.
| بطولة غرب آسيا لكرة القدم تحت 23 عاما | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| City | Jeddah |
| Dates | 3–15 November |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 confederation) (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Saudi Arabia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Qatar |
| Third place |  Syria |
| Fourth place |  Oman |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Goals scored | 26 (2.36 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Al Faraj Al Kiyumi Nasser Al Rawahi Ahmed Al-Ghamdi Ziyad Al-Johani Mohammed Maran Mohamad Rihanieh (2 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Ahmed Al-Ghamdi[1] |
| Best goalkeeper | Waseem Ayoub[1] |
← 2021 2023 → | |
The tournament was originally going to be held in Iraq from 3 to 18 November 2022,[2] but was relocated to Saudi Arabia due to the 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis.[3] Jordan, the defending champions, did not take part in the tournament. Saudi Arabia won their first title after defeating Qatar 3–1 in the final.[4]
Originally, it was determined that Iraq would host the tournament, as a preparatory competition ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[5] However, due to the 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis, the hosting rights were lifted based on the recommendation issued in this regard by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee of the WAFF during its two recent meetings that were held in the Jordanian capital Amman. On 23 September 2022, the WAFF announced that Saudi Arabia would host the tournament. [6] Iraq would host the next edition instead.[6]
Nine teams initially confirmed their participation.[7] On 13 October, both Iraq and Yemen withdrew from the competition.[8] On 20 October, it was announced that Kuwait withdrew from the competition, bringing the final number of teams to six.[9]
| Team | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
 Bahrain | 3rd | Group stage (2015, 2021) |
 Lebanon | 2nd | Group stage (2021) |
| Oman | 3rd | Group stage (2015, 2021) |
| Qatar | 2nd | Third place (2015) |
| Saudi Arabia | 3rd | Runners-up (2021) |
| Syria | 3rd | Runners-up (2015) |
Draw
The draw was held on 20 October 2022.[9]
Squads
Each team had to register a squad of 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers.
The following referees and assistant referees were appointed for the tournament.
| Jeddah | Jeddah | Jeddah | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Hall at King Abdullah Sports City | Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium | King Abdullah Sports City | |
| Capacity: 1,000 | Capacity: 27,000 | Capacity: 62,345 | |
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Oman |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Lebanon |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia (H) |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Syria |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Bahrain |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
| Syria | 2–1 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
Al Aswad  25'Rihanieh 44' |
Report | Al-Johani 59' |
| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| A. Al-Ghamdi 30' Al-Johani 57' |
Report |
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were to be used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Articles 10.1 and 10.3).
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 12 November – Jeddah (Al Faisal) | ||||||
| Qatar (p) | 1 (6) | |||||
| 15 November – Jeddah (Al Jawhara) | ||||||
| Syria | 1 (5) | |||||
| Qatar | 1 | |||||
| 12 November – Jeddah (Al Faisal) | ||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | |||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | |||||
| Oman | 1 | |||||
| Third place match | ||||||
| 15 November – Jeddah (Al Jawhara) | ||||||
| Syria | 1 | |||||
| Oman | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals
| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
| Maran 35', 53' |
Report | Al Kiyumi 25' |
Fifth place play-off
Third place play-off
Final
| Qatar | 1–3 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Taha 49' (pen.) |
Report | A. Al-Ghamdi 9' Al-Nasser 18'Al-Juwayr 67' |
Winners
| 2022 WAFF U-23 Championship champion |
|---|
 Saudi Arabia First title |
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
Awards
- Player of the Tournament
- Golden Glove
Waseem Ayoub
There have been 26 goals scored in 11 matches, for an average of 2.36 goals per match.
2 goals
Al Faraj Al Kiyumi- Nasser Al Rawahi
Ahmed Al-Ghamdi- Ziyad Al-Johani
- Mohammed Maran
- Mohamad Rihanieh
1 goal
Husain Abdulkarim- Mohammed Abdul Qayoom
- Adel Al-Romaihi
Said Saad- Mohamad Omar Sadek
- Salem Al Abdulsalam
Mostafa Qadeera- Diyab Taha
- Mekki Tombari
- Musab Al-Juwayr
- Saad Al-Nasser
- Mahmoud Al Aswad
- Khaled Al Hajjah
- Fawaz Bawadekji
- "بطولتا الناشئين التاسعة وتحت ٢٣ الثالثة في الأردن والعراق" (in Arabic). the-waff.com. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- "New competition dates approved by AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 11 November 2020.
- "السعودية تحتضن بطولة غرب آسيا تحت 23 عامًا". كووورة. September 22, 2022.
- "٩ منتخبات تؤكد مشاركتها ببطولة تحت ٢٣ عاماً الثالثة" (in Arabic). WAFF. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.