Klinsmann’s schedule and stadium for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which aims to win for the first time in 63 years, have been confirmed. The AFC Asian Cup Organizing Committee announced the schedule and stadium of the ‘AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023’ on the 21st (Korea Standard Time). The competition will be held on January 12 next year and will run until February 10.
The tournament will be held in a total of nine stadiums, and the opening and final matches will be held at Lusail Stadium. In addition, there are seven stadiums where the 2022 Qatar World Cup games were held, including Albite, Aljanub, Altumama, Ahmad Bin Ali, Education City, and Khalifa International Stadium, and a total of nine stadiums used by Qatar professional football teams, including Jasim Bin Hamad and Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. 스포츠토토
South Korea will play the first Group E match against Bahrain at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium on January 15 next year. It will then face Jordan at Altumama Stadium on January 20. The third match against Malaysia will take place on January 25 at al-Zanub Stadium.
The stadium where the finals tournament will be held has also been set. If South Korea advances to the round of 16 as the top of Group E, it will play at Altumama Stadium. The first place in Group E will face the second place in Group D, with Japan, Iraq, Indonesia and Vietnam in Group D. If they reach the round of 16 as second place in Group E, they will play at Education City Stadium. The second place in Group E will face the first place in Group F. Group F included Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman.
If South Korea advances to the quarterfinals, it will meet a welcome stadium. It is the Education City Stadium where Bento played all three games at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. If you reach the semifinals, you go back to Altumama Stadium. The final match will be held at Lusail Stadium, where the 2022 Qatar World Cup final was held. At that time, Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, beat France after a penalty shoot-out and lifted the World Cup champion trophy.
The Asian Cup was originally scheduled for July in China. However, as China returned the right to host the event in the aftermath of COVID-19, the venue was also changed to Qatar. The timing of the event has also been postponed until January next year. A total of 24 countries will participate in the tournament and be divided into six groups for the group stage. The top four best-performing teams among the first, second and third places in each group advance to the round of 16 tournaments and compete for the championship.
South Korea will try to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years. He has not reached the top since winning the first tournament in 1954 and 1960. He reached the final in the 2014 tournament, but lost to host Australia and remained in second place, and was eliminated in the previous 2019 tournament after losing 0-1 to Qatar in the quarterfinals.
Both Klinsmann and Son Heung-min have said their goal is to win the Asian Cup. In his first interview right after entering Incheon International Airport in February, Klinsmann said, “My first goal since taking office is to win the Asian Cup.” Captain Son Heung-min also said that his biggest dream of remaining as a player is to win the Asian Cup. Son Heung-min said in an interview at Paju NFC at the time of the A match call-up in March, “It is also important for me to bring back the Asian Cup trophy that I have not brought for a long time. “It’s for Korean soccer,” he said. “I went to the finals, went to the semifinals, and fell away from the quarterfinals.” I want these pains to be a good experience and win the Asian Cup. It’s my biggest dream,” he stressed.
Son Heung-min has made a total of three appearances at the Asian Cup so far. He made his first appearance in the 2011 tournament when he was 18 years old, but only reached the semifinals and reached the 2015 finals. At that time, he scored a theatrical goal after receiving a pass from Ki Sung-yueng in the extra time of the second half when he was trailing 0-1, but lost a point in extra time and gave up the championship. After the game, Son Heung-min lay on the ground and shed tears. Fans’ attention and expectations are focused on whether Klinsmann will be able to bring the Asian Cup trophy for the first time in 64 years.