Qatar set to host Asian showpiece as more teams arrive

A little more than a year after Qatar hosted a magnificent FIFA World Cup – the first to be held in Middle East – the country is also set to host the Asian Cup from this Friday as Iran, Oman, Australia and Tajikistan were the latest team to arrive on Monday in Doha for continental showpiece.
Qatar go into the tournament as defending champions having picked up their first title five years ago with a surprise victory over four-times champions Japan in Abu Dhabi. Following China’s withdrawal as hosts because of its rigid “zero-Covid” policy, Qatar will now also stage the tournament for the third time in its 68-year history.
Qatar will be desperate to banish the memory of their miserable World Cup campaign but their preparations have been hit by the departure of coach Carlos Queiroz, who left last month after a year of mixed results.
The Maroons take on Lebanon on Friday in the opening game of the 18th edition of the continental championship at the Lusail Stadium, which hosted Argentina’s dramatic World Cup final win over France in December 2022.
Iran, a perennial Asian power, reached the semi-finals in 2019 under Queiroz and Amir Ghalenoei has an experienced squad full of players such as Ehsan Hajsafi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mehdi Taremi who play their club football in Europe.
Team Melli, who are is scheduled to meet Indonesia in a friendly match – have been drawn in Group C along with Palestine, the UAE and Hong Kong. Ghalenoei’s side will start the campaign with a match against Palestine on January 14.
Oman team touched down in Doha with the players arriving in traditional attire. Branko Ivankovic’s men will be in action in Group F along with Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand.
Oman who are playing in their fifth Asian Cup and the third in a row, take on Saudi Arabia in their opening match on Jan. 16 at the Khalifa International Stadium. They will the face Thailand and Kyrgyzstan on Jan 21 and 25 respectively at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. Oman recorded their best result in the tournament in the UAE in 2019 when they went through to the last 16 before being eliminated by Iran.
Tajikistan, meanwhile, are in Group A that includes hosts Qatar, China and Lebanon. This is the first appearance for Tajikistan in the Asian Cup. Croatian coach Petar Segrt is spearheading Tajikistan’s team, who is determined to accomplish a new milestone after he led them to the historic qualification for the continental tournament. He now strives to emphasize that the qualification was not merely a coincidence.
Segrt is counting on a contingent of footballers who enjoy high expertise, not to forget that he led Tajikistan to incredibly win the title of the 2022 King’s Cup in Thailand. He also led Afghanistan team in 2015. Tajik team begin their campaign against China on Saturday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
Australia, who also arrived on Monday, could challenge for another title to match their 2015 triumph on home soil if they can build momentum and find enough goals. Their run to the last 16 at the 2022 World Cup was built on a tight-knit squad.