Ranked 74th in the world this is the Omanis fifth appearance at the Asian Cup finals, with their best performance coing in 2019 when the reached the last 16 in 2019 as one of third best group nations. They were knocked by Iran, losing 2-0.
Lacking in Asian Cup finals pedigree but eager to break out of the group stage for the first time in their history, Malaysia travel to Qatar with a squad filled with youthful inexperience and exciting talent in equal measure.
On their third appearance in the finals, Palestine want to clinch a first-ever ticket to the knockout stages of the Asian Cup and under Tunisian coach Makram Daboub the team has been playing well, often under difficult circumstances.
Qatar have endured a difficult 14 months, with their World Cup adventure on home soil turning into the worst performance by a host nation ever and their subsequent gamble on appointing the experienced Carlos Queiroz as coach not working out.
Saudi Arabia last won the Asian Cup in 1996 on home soil and it will be something of a surprise if they repeat the feat in Doha, the venue for their historic 2-1 win against Argentina at the World Cup.
It takes supporters of a distinguished age to recall when South Korea last won the continental title – John F Kennedy was still alive and The Beatles were a new band – but the Taegeuk Warriors want to claim a third title and banish the notion that they are perennial underachievers.
This will be the seventh time Syria have qualified for the Asian Cup. They have never made it out the group stages.
Stumbling at the first hurdle, Thailand qualified for the 2023 Asian Cup by way of third round qualification. The Qatar finals mark the country’s eighth run in the competition, headlined by a third-placed finish in their nation’s Asian Cup debut in 1972.
The United Arab Emirates have reached the semi-finals of the Asian Cup on the last two occasions and yet despite those results the Whites have never truly been considered a part of Asia’s elite.
Uzbekistan have been ever present in the tournament over the past eight editions and are the most successful side from Central Asia having qualified for every Asian Cup since the fall of the Soviet Union. Their most notable achievement was in 2011 when they reached the semi-finals.
With their fifth appearance in the Asian Cup, Vietnam are steadily emerged as a formidable force in football in Southeast Asia and beyond.
By Samindra Kunti in Jeddah
December 22 — Manchester City cruised past Fluminense of Brazil 4-0 to win a maiden Club World Cup and conclude a spectacular 2023 with a fifth trophy.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 22 – Not dissimilar to when the concept was first launched back in April 2021, Europe’s main football stakeholders, led by UEFA, have joined forces to denounce ambitious plans for a new version of the European Super League – even though the landscape has changed overnight.
December 22 – Despite widespread condemnation, the sports development company behind a possible new European Super League, A22, has outlined its plans for the tournament following Thursday’s judgement by the European Court of Justice that UEFA’s rules restricting the creation of new competitions were unlawful.
By Samindra Kunti in Jeddah
December 22 – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is relishing the challenge of taking on Fluminense and their idiosyncratic style in the final of the Club World Cup as the European champions seek to wrap up their best year ever.