Klinsmann Ho in the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon at 1 a.m. on the 13th, Korean time , competing for the championship with Japan and Australia in the first match of Group E against Bahrain on the 15th ‘Bentuho’ UAE ambushes
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which determines the best in Asian soccer, will begin on the 13th (Korean time), lasting about a month.
The 18th Asian Cup opens with the first match of Group A between the host nation, Qatar, and Lebanon, held at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, at 1 a.m. on the 13th (Korean time).
The Asian Cup, held every four years, is the greatest soccer event in the Asian continent.
The winning team will receive the title of the best in Asian soccer and the right to participate in the FIFA Confederations Cup, which determines the best between continents.
This Asian Cup was originally scheduled to be held in China in June and July of last year, but China returned the hosting rights in May of last year due to the aftermath of COVID-19.
Afterwards, Korea and Qatar competed to host the event, and Qatar will host the Asian Cup for the third time in 12 years (1988, 2011, and 2023).
In this process, considering the hot weather in the Middle East, the competition was postponed to January-February 2024.
In the Qatar Asian Cup, 24 countries are divided into 6 groups and play the group stage, and then the 12 teams ranked 1st and 2nd in each group and the 4 teams with the best 3rd place in each group advance to the round of 16.
The Korean national team (23rd in FIFA rankings), led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, competes with Bahrain (86th), Jordan (87th), and Malaysia (130th) in Group E of the group stage.
Starting with the game against Bahrain on the 15th, the team will face Jordan on the 20th and Malaysia on the 25th. All three games kick off at 8:30 PM Korean time.
Based on objective performance, it appears that Korea will pass the group stage with ease.
After losing twice in a row in the 1st tournament in 1956 and the 2nd tournament in 1960, Korean soccer, which has been runner-up four times (1972, 1980, 1988, 2015) without winning, is attempting to regain the top spot in Asia for the first time in 64 years.
The Klinsmann is evaluated as having the greatest power of all time. ‘Captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who became the first Asian player to become the top scorer in the English Professional Football Premier League (EPL) in the 2021-2022 season, as well as Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain, PSG), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). There are a large number of players who are sweeping the world stage.
Many of the 2022 Qatar World Cup round of 16 members play a key role and have a wealth of experience.
After leading the German national team to third place in the 2006 World Cup, Coach Klinsmann, who failed to achieve much success with Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin (Germany), and the U.S. national soccer team, is also aiming to regain his honor by winning the Asian Cup.
At the launch ceremony on the 2nd, Coach Klinsmann expressed his determination, saying, “I will do my best to be able to lift the trophy in front of the people for the first time in 64 years.”
Japan and Australia are selected as candidates to compete with Korea for the Asian Cup title.
Japan, which has 20 European players including Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), and Takumi Minamino (Monaco), is ranked 17th in the FIFA rankings, the highest among Asian countries.
There is a high possibility that they will meet Japan, who is included in Group D, in the finals.
Korea and Japan have never faced each other in the Asian Cup final. Korea leads the team with an all-time record of 46 wins, 23 draws, and 16 losses, but I have painful memories of losing in a penalty shootout in the 2011 Asian Cup semifinals after being tied 2-2 for 120 minutes until overtime.
Australia, which won the 2015 Asian Cup by defeating Korea in the final, is also a formidable team as it has the physical strength of Europe. They could meet Australia in the semifinals or finals.
Former coach Paulo Bento's UAE, who will lead Korea to the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and then take charge of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team and participate in this Asian Cup, is also a dark horse.
UAE, which is in Group C with Iran and others, is likely to meet Korea in the quarterfinals or finals. 19가이드03
