2016 AFC U-23 Championship
| بطولة آسيا تحت 23 سنة لكرة القدم 2016 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country |
 Qatar |
| Dates | 12–30 January 2016 |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | TBD (in TBD host cities) |
The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2016 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) will be the second edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial youth football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the under-23 national teams of their member associations. The tournament will be hosted in Qatar between 12–30 January 2016.[1][2] A total of 16 teams will play in the tournament. The tournament was also renamed from the "AFC U-22 Championship" to the "AFC U-23 Championship".[1]
The tournament acts as qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament for the AFC, with the top three teams qualifying.[3]
Host selection
Qatar was one of the countries which came forward wishing to host the finals competition.[4] They were selected over the other bidding nations Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.[1]
Qualification
The qualifiers draw was held on Thursday, December 4, 2014.[5] A total of 43 teams were drawn into ten groups, with the ten group winners and the five best runners-up qualifying for the final tournament.[6]
Qualification rounds were played between 23–31 March 2015,[7] except for Group B which was scheduled to be held in Lahore, Pakistan, but was postponed due to the Lahore church bombings.
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Hosts | 28 November 2014 | 0 (debut) |
 Australia | Group F winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 South Korea | Group H winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 Syria | Group E winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 North Korea | Group G winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 China PR | Group J winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 Thailand | Group G runners-up | 31 March 2015 | 0 (debut) |
 Saudi Arabia | Group C winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 Iran | Group C runners-up | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 United Arab Emirates | Group D winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 Yemen | Group D runners-up | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 Japan | Group I winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
 Vietnam | Group I runners-up | 31 March 2015 | 0 (debut) |
 Iraq | Group A winners | 31 March 2015 | 1 (2013) |
- 1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
Squads
Players born on or after 1 January 1993 are eligible to compete in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "AFC Competitions Committee meeting". the-afc.com. 28 November 2014.
- ↑ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016 - 2018" (PDF). AFC.
- ↑ "QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD – RIO 2016 Original" (PDF). Comité Olímpico Portugal. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ↑ "Qatar bids to host AFC U-22 championship". QFA. 12 September 2014.
- ↑ "AFC U-23 Championship 2016 Qualifiers draw". Asian Football Confederation. 3 December 2014.
- ↑ "Holders Iraq face stern test in AFC U-23 C'ship qualifiers". AFC. 4 December 2014.
- ↑ "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015" (PDF). AFC.
- ↑ "Regulations AFC U-23 Championship 2016" (PDF). AFC.
External links
- AFC U-23 Championship, the-AFC.com
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