DUSHANBE, 14.12.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the draw date for the 2023 Asian Cup qualifying group stage. Tajikistan will know its rivals on February 24.

The AFC has also announced the «seeding» process and draw mechanism for the qualifying tournament.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifying draws will be generated following the publication of the latest FIFA rankings. According to the results of the draw, which will take place on February 24, six groups of four teams will be formed. The qualifying group round matches will be played in a centralized format in one round next June.

Eleven teams will qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup finals, including six group winners, as well as five best-performing runner-up teams.

In the qualifying tournament, 24 teams will compete for the right to qualify for the final round of the 2023 Asian Cup. In addition to Tajikistan, these are Uzbekistan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Bahrain, Palestine, India, Thailand, Philippines, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Nepal, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Cambodia.

Iran, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, Oman, Vietnam, China, and Qatar have already secured their place in the final of the 2023 Asian Cup.