Today, January 12, Asian Cup 2023 kicks off

The 2023 Asian Cup will officially kick off today. (Photo: Getty).

The teams are divided into 6 groups of 4 teams each. In each group, the teams compete in a round robin, with the top 2 teams in each group, along with the 4 best third-placed teams, advancing to the round of 16.

From the round of 16, if the two teams are tied after 90 minutes, extra time will be played. If the score is still tied after two extra periods, the two teams will play a penalty shootout. There will be no third-place match at the 2023 Asian Cup. The two losing teams in the semi-finals will share third place. This is the same format as the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.

According to the AFC draw, the 2023 Asian Cup groups are as follows: Group A includes host Qatar, China, Tajikistan and Lebanon. Group B includes Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria and India. Group C includes Iran, UAE, Hong Kong (China) and Palestine. Group D includes Vietnam, Indonesia, Iraq and Japan.

In Group E, South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain will face off. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and Oman will compete for the ticket to the next round in Group F.

On the opening day, the host team Qatar will meet Lebanon in a match taking place at 11pm.

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