Vietnam team to attend Asian Cup 2023 near Lunar New Year

Vietnam team will attend Asian Cup 2023 early next year - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH

The tournament was originally scheduled to be held this year with China as the host. However, the country withdrew, forcing the AFC to find a new host for the 2023 Asian Cup. Qatar was chosen in October last year as they are also the hosts of the 2022 World Cup.

Not long after, the AFC also confirmed that the tournament will take place in January 2024 instead of the original summer of 2023. The reason is that Qatar has hot weather, which is not favorable for organizing in the summer.

On the afternoon of April 5, the AFC continued to announce the specific time. Accordingly, the 2023 Asian Cup will take place from January 12 to February 10 next year.

It is worth noting that this time is quite close to the Lunar New Year. The opening day of January 12 falls on the 12th day of the 12th lunar month of the year of the Cat. Meanwhile, the closing day of February 10 falls on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year 2024.

Also according to the announcement from AFC, 6 out of 8 stadiums used in the 2023 Asian Cup are the ones that served the 2022 World Cup. They are Al Janoub, Al Bayt, Ahmed Bin Ali, Al Thumama, Education City, Khalifa International. The remaining two stadiums are Jassim bin Hamad and Abdullah bin Khalifa.

AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: "We are confident that Qatar will host an unprecedented Asian Cup. We have seen them create the best World Cup ever. We commend their efforts and dedication."

The AFC also announced that the draw for the 2023 Asian Cup will take place on May 11. According to the seeding results, the Vietnamese team is in group 3.

This could put Vietnam in the same group with strong opponents. In addition, it is not impossible that coach Troussier's team will be in the same group with Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia, teams in group 4.

According to Tuoi Tre