Uzbekistan and Japan to contest 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup final

Uzbekistan and Japan will face each other in the final of the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup after beating Indonesia and Iraq in their respective semifinals in Qatar on Monday.

The results mean both countries also qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Indonesia and Iraq will contest third place, with the winner also booking their spot at the Games. The loser will have a final chance to qualify in a game against an African federation team.

In the first semifinal at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Uzbekistan took the lead after 68 minutes, thanks to Khusayin Norchaev. Their victory was sealed by an own goal by Pratama Arhan in the 86th minute.

Later in the evening at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Japan beat Iraq — the last Arabian team standing — 2-0 with goals from Mao Hosoya (28 minutes) and Ryataro Araki (42).

The current holders of the trophy, Saudi Arabia, exited the competition at the quarterfinal stage following a 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan.

The final between Uzbekistan and Japan is set to take place on Friday at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.