December 4 – The AFC has revealed its official mascots for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar as major tournament international football stands poised for a return to the 2022 World Cup hosts.
The mascots, a family of five desert rodents named Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh, will once again be the face of Asia’s most prestigious football tournament, after making their debut 12 years ago when Qatar last hosted the AFC Asian Cup.
The return of the characters was unveiled at a special ceremony in Doha. Since first making an appearance 2011, the mascots have reportedly ‘grown up and matured’, and are now ‘ready for a new edition of the AFC Asian Cup’.
“The mascots of the 2023 Asian Cup invoke wonderful memories from 2011, but also embody the excitement and energy of what will certainly be an amazing competition,” said Hassan Al Kuwari, Marketing and Communications Executive Director of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organising Committee.
“The five characters are inspired by Qatar’s natural environment and present us with yet another wonderful opportunity to showcase our culture and heritage to football fans from around the world.”
“From the very beginning, we wanted to do something that inspired families and young people to be a part of the Asian Cup,” said Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed, who created the characters.
“We wanted to do dig deep into our rich ecological heritage and find an animal that could represent the best of what happens on the pitch and also in our daily lives, and that was the jerboa.”
Al Maadheed added: “We decided to present a family of jerboas, each with its own distinctive personality, as a way of acknowledging the importance of teamwork in football, but also acknowledging the importance of family life to societies in Qatar.”
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 kicks off on January 12, 2024 after being postponed as a result of original hosts China dropping out due to circumstances regarding the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s zero-COVID policy. The final will be played at the Lusail Stadium on February 14.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1729241131labto1729241131ofdlr1729241131owedi1729241131sni@g1729241131niwe.1729241131yrrah1729241131
