AFC
Kuala Lumpur: All five previous champions booked their places in the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Qatar 2024 as the Qualifiers concluded on Tuesday.
Leading the charge were defending champions Saudi Arabia with Iraq (2013), Japan (2016), Uzbekistan (2018) and Korea Republic (2020) also advancing.
In a qualifying campaign filled with drama and excitement, Jordan topped Group A with a perfect nine points while Korea Republic emerged the Group B winners after victories over Kyrgyz Republic and Myanmar.
Vietnam, who had booked their spot in the Finals with a match to spare, ended their Group C campaign with seven points following a 2-2 draw with Singapore on Tuesday while Japan also had to be satisfied with a 0-0 stalemate with Bahrain as they topped Group D.
Uzbekistan ended their Group E challenge with a 1-0 win over Islamic Republic of Iran, concluding their campaign with three wins out of three while Iraq were the Group F winners, edging Kuwait on goal difference with both accumulating seven points.
The United Arab Emirates topped Group G ahead of China PR on goal difference with both teams finishing on four points while Thailand edged neighbours Malaysia 1-0 to win Group H with a perfect nine points.
Australia pipped Tajikistan to the Group I top spot after their clash on Tuesday ended 1-1, with both finishing on four points while Saudi Arabia produced a masterclass as they cruised 6-1 past Cambodia to finish their Group J challenge with nine points. Indonesia emerged as the Group K winners with a 2-0 defeat of Turkmenistan.
Joining the 11 group winners and hosts Qatar in the Finals were the four best second-placed teams - Kuwait (Group F), Tajikistan (Group I), China PR (Group G) and Malaysia (Group H).
The Finals are scheduled for April 15 to May 3, 2024.