Qatar to host 2023 Asian Cup: AFC

World Cup hosts Qatar will stage the 2023 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said on Monday, after China withdrew earlier this year because of Covid-19.

“Qatar’s capabilities and track record in hosting major international sporting events and their meticulous attention to detail are well admired throughout the globe,” AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.

“With their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivaled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia’s crown jewel.”

China in June 2019 won the bid to host the event but withdrew in May this year because of its “zero-Covid” policy, leaving the AFC scrambling to find a new host for its flagship men’s 24-team football tournament.

The tournament had been due to be held in 10 Chinese cities from June 16 to July 16 next year.

China is the last major economy still trying to stamp out Covid-19 within its borders, through a series of harsh measures involving snap lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

The Asian Cup is staged every four years. Qatar won the tournament’s last edition, in 2019, which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates.

South Korea and Indonesia were the other two countries that participated in the bidding to host after China’s withdrawal.

Qatar will host the World Cup starting next month.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES