The opponent of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup group stage of the Korean national soccer team, which is challenging Asia’s top in 64 years, will be decided on the 11th (hereinafter Korean time).
The AFC바카라사이트 will hold the 2023 Asian Cup draw ceremony at the Katara Opera House in Doha, Qatar, on the 11th at 8pm. The tournament will be held at 8 stadiums in 5 cities, including Doha, from January 12 to February 10, 2024.
Korea is one of the self-proclaimed ‘strongest teams in Asia’, but they have not reached the top since the 2nd Asian Cup in 1960. Korea, which is on a good trend by advancing to the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, is determined to quench its 64-year-old thirst with coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
In the Asian Cup, 24 teams were divided into 6 groups of 4 teams to play the group stage, and then 12 teams in 1st and 2nd places in each group, plus the top 4 teams among the 6 teams in 3rd place, advance to the tournament. cover the win
The AFC listed the participating teams in order of FIFA ranking and divided the pots. Korea (ranked 27th in FIFA rankings), including the host country Qatar (ranked 61st), Japan (ranked 20th), Iran (ranked 24th), Australia (ranked 29th), They belong to the top seed along with Saudi Arabia (54th), so they will not meet in the same group.
However, recently, Asian football has been leveled up, and the group stage can be quite tricky when it becomes a ‘group of death’.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the new head coach of the Korean men’s national soccer team, is taking a commemorative photo with a muffler at his inauguration press conference at the National Football Team Training Center (NFC) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on the 9th. 2023.3.9/News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Song Won-young
Of course, you need to be determined to catch any team to win, but Pot 2’s Uzbekistan (74th) is an opponent you want to avoid because it has good power enough to be a top seed.
As the tournament is held in the Middle East, dark horses such as Iraq (67th) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE, 72nd) are also in trouble.
In Pot 3, Kyrgyzstan (96th), which was in the same group as Korea in the 2019 tournament, and Lebanon (99th), which met consecutively in the second and final qualifying rounds for the 2022 World Cup, draw attention. There is also Vietnam (95th), which is familiar to Korean soccer fans, led by coach Park Hang-seo. Currently, Vietnam is led by head coach Philippe Troussier.
In pot 4, teams with deep ties to Korea await. Indonesia (149th), led by Shin Tae-yong, and Malaysia (138th), led by Kim Pan-gon.
Both teams have been transformed into tight-knit teams under the guidance of the Korean commander, so it can be a difficult match. In addition, in Hong Kong (ranked 147th), John Andersen, who coached the North Korean national team and K-League Incheon United in the past, is holding the baton.
Park Ji-sung encouraging Korean players (provided by the Korea Football Association)
Meanwhile, at this draw, Korean football legend Park Ji-seong, technical director of Jeonbuk Hyundai, will participate in the draw along with Hassan Al-Hhaidos (Qatar) and Serber Zefarov (Uzbekistan).
Park Ji-sung, who retired from the national team after the 2011 Qatar Asian Cup, said, “I’m happy to be back in Doha. I still have good memories of 2011, but I’m sure this tournament will be bigger and better than that.” Interest is in what fate Park Ji-sung will bring to Korea.
Coach Klinsman watches the lottery ceremony with Coach Du-Ri Cha on site.
Coach Klinsman, who has already been to Doha after attending the Qatar World Cup post coaching forum as a member of TSG, inspects hotels and training grounds before and after the group draw and selects the base camp for the Asian Cup.