AFC Asian Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
AFC Asian Cup

Organising body	AFC
Founded	1956; 69 years ago (1956)
Region	Asia (including Australia)
Number of teams	24 (finals) 47 (eligible to enter qualification)
Current champions	Qatar (2nd title)
Most successful team(s)	Japan (4 titles)

The AFC Asian Cup is a big football tournament. It's where the best men's national teams from Asia compete. They play to find out who is the champion of football in Asia.

This competition is very old. It's the second oldest continental football championship in the world! Only the Copa América is older. The team that wins becomes the champion of Asia.

The Asian Cup used to happen every four years, starting in 1956. But sometimes it was held in the same year as the Olympics and the European Championship. So, the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) decided to change the schedule.

After 2004, the next tournament was in 2007. Four countries in Southeast Asia hosted it together: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Since then, it has gone back to being held every four years.

A few teams have won the Asian Cup many times. Japan has won it four times. Iran and Saudi Arabia have each won three times. South Korea and Qatar have won twice. Other winners include Australia (in 2015), Iraq (in 2007), and Kuwait (in 1980). Israel won in 1964, but they later joined a different football group (UEFA).

Australia joined the Asian football group in 2007. They hosted the Asian Cup in 2015 and won it by beating South Korea in the final. The 2019 tournament was made bigger. It went from 16 teams to 24 teams. The games also helped teams qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

History of the Asian Cup

How it Started

People first thought about having a football competition for all of Asia after World War II. But it didn't happen until the 1950s. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was created in 1954. Two years later, the first AFC Asian Cup was held in Hong Kong. Seven of the twelve founding members took part. This made it the second oldest continental football competition in the world.

To qualify, teams had to be the host country or winners from different regions (Central, Eastern, and Western Asia). The first few tournaments (1956, 1960, 1964) only had four teams. Each region already had its own smaller championship.

South Korea was very strong in the early years. They won the championship in both 1956 and 1960. These are still South Korea's best results in the tournament.

West Asian Teams Take Over (1964–1988)

After Hong Kong and South Korea, Israel hosted the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. It was still a four-team tournament. All teams played each other to decide the winner. Israel won, finishing ahead of India. The tournament grew to five teams in 1968, then six teams in 1972 and 1976.

Iran became very dominant. They won three tournaments in a row: 1968, 1972, and 1976. Iran hosted the 1968 and 1976 tournaments. Iran is the only team in Asia to win three Asian Cups in a row. The 1972 final was important because it was the first time the tournament used a group stage followed by knockout games. Israel left the AFC in 1972.

From 1980 to 1988, ten teams took part. But West Asian countries continued to win. Kuwait became the first Arab country to win in 1980. They won at home, beating South Korea 3–0 in the final. Saudi Arabia then became very strong. They won two Asian Cups in a row in 1984 and 1988. They beat China and South Korea in those finals. These were Saudi Arabia's first big tournament wins.

Japan's Rise and Modern Changes (1992–2011)

Before the 1990s, Japan was not a big name in Asian football. They only played in the 1988 tournament for the first time. But as Japan started to develop professional football, their team got much better. Japan hosted the 1992 AFC Asian Cup. This tournament had eight teams and two groups. Japan won their first major international trophy by beating Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the final. Saudi Arabia was the defending champion at the time.

The 1996 AFC Asian Cup grew to twelve teams. This was part of making the tournament more professional. The hosts, UAE, reached the final for the first time. But they lost to Saudi Arabia in a penalty shootout. Saudi Arabia won their third Asian title.

In the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, Lebanon played in their first Asian tournament. Saudi Arabia reached the final again. But this time, Japan beat them 1–0. Japan then won their Asian trophy again four years later. This final was against hosts China and was very intense. The 2004 tournament was important because it expanded to 16 teams. It was also the first time Saudi Arabia didn't reach the final.

The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the first time Australia played in the tournament. Australia had joined the AFC in 2006. It was also the first football competition in the world to be hosted by more than two countries. Four countries in Southeast Asia hosted it: Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In this tournament, Iraq became Asian champions. This was a big surprise, especially because of the difficult situation in their country. They beat strong teams like Australia, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

Australia didn't do well in 2007, but they bounced back. They reached the final of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. However, they lost to Japan after extra time. Japan's win meant they became the most successful team in Asian football with four titles. This tournament was also the first Asian Cup to use jersey numbers from 1 to 23.

Growing the Asian Cup (2015–Present)

After Australia's good performance in 2011, the AFC allowed them to host the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. In this tournament, Australia played very well. They only lost one game, which was against South Korea. But Australia got their revenge in the final, beating South Korea 2–1 after extra time. This win was Australia's first Asian title. Australia had joined the AFF in 2013. The AFC Asian Cup took place from January 12 to February 10, 2024.

At the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Video Assistant Referees (VAR) were used for the first time. The tournament also expanded to 24 teams. Teams were allowed a fourth substitution if the game went into extra time. The United Arab Emirates hosted this tournament for the second time. Qatar won their first ever Asian title, beating Japan 3–1 in the final. The tournament had some challenges because of political issues between Qatar and the UAE.

How the Tournament Works

Final Tournament Structure

Since 1972, the final tournament has two main parts: the group stage and the knockout stage. Since 2019, each team plays three games in a group of four teams. The top two teams from each group move on to the knockout stage. Also, the four best third-placed teams from all groups get to advance.

In the knockout stage, 16 teams compete in a single-elimination tournament. This means if you lose, you're out! It starts with the Round of 16, then quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finally the championship match.

The Asian Cup Trophy

Trophy history

The original trophy launched in 1956, in use until 2015

The trophy used since 2019

There have been two different trophies for the Asian Cup. The first one was used from 1956 to 2015. The second, newer trophy has been used since 2019.

The first trophy looked like a bowl with a round base. It was 42 centimeters tall and weighed 15 kilograms. Until the 2000 tournament, the names of the winning countries were carved onto plaques on the black base. Later, the trophy was changed. It had more silver, and the black base became thinner. The winners' names were then carved around the base itself.

A brand new trophy was shown on May 4, 2018, in Dubai. This new trophy was made by Thomas Lyte. It is 78 centimeters tall, 42 centimeters wide, and weighs 15 kilograms of silver. The trophy is designed to look like a lotus flower. The lotus flower is a very important symbol in Asia. The five petals of the lotus represent the five different football groups under the AFC. The names of the winning countries are carved around the trophy's base. This base can be separated from the main part of the trophy. The new trophy also has a handle on each side, which the old one didn't.

Tournament Results

Ed.	Year	Hosts		Final				Third place playoff or losing semi-finalists				Number of teams
				Champions	Score	Runners-up		Third place	Score	Fourth place
1	1956	Hong Kong		South Korea	round-robin	Israel		Hong Kong	round-robin	South Vietnam		4
2	1960	South Korea		South Korea	round-robin	Israel		Republic of China	round-robin	South Vietnam		4
3	1964	Israel		Israel	round-robin	India		South Korea	round-robin	Hong Kong		4
4	1968	Iran		Iran	round-robin	Burma		Israel	round-robin	Republic of China		5
5	1972	Thailand		Iran	2–1 (aet)	South Korea		Thailand	2–2 (aet) (5–3 p)	Khmer Republic		6
6	1976	Iran		Iran	1–0	Kuwait		China	1–0	Iraq		6
7	1980	Kuwait		Kuwait	3–0	South Korea		Iran	3–0	North Korea		10
8	1984	Singapore		Saudi Arabia	2–0	China		Kuwait	1–1 (aet) (5–3 p)	Iran		10
9	1988	Qatar		Saudi Arabia	0–0 (aet) (4–3 p)	South Korea		Iran	0–0 (aet) (3–0 p)	China		10
10	1992	Japan		Japan	1–0	Saudi Arabia		China	1–1 (aet) (4–3 p)	United Arab Emirates		8
11	1996	UAE		Saudi Arabia	0–0 (aet) (4–2 p)	United Arab Emirates		Iran	1–1 (aet) (3–2 p)	Kuwait		12
12	2000	Lebanon		Japan	1–0	Saudi Arabia		South Korea	1–0	China		12
13	2004	China		Japan	3–1	China		Iran	4–2	Bahrain		16
14	2007	Indonesia  Malaysia  Thailand  Vietnam		Iraq	1–0	Saudi Arabia		South Korea	0–0 (aet) (6–5 p)	Japan		16
15	2011	Qatar		Japan	1–0 (aet)	Australia		South Korea	3–2	Uzbekistan		16
16	2015	Australia		Australia	2–1 (aet)	South Korea		United Arab Emirates	3–2	Iraq		16
17	2019	UAE		Qatar	3–1	Japan		Iran and  United Arab Emirates				24
18	2023	Qatar		Qatar	3–1	Jordan		Iran and  South Korea				24
19	2027	Saudi Arabia		TBD		TBD		TBD and TBD				24

Summary of Winners

The first four Asian Cup tournaments only had four or five teams. They played in one group to decide the winner. Since 1972, the tournament has included a knockout stage. Since 2019, there is no longer a match for third place. From 2023, the losing semi-finalists are ranked by the AFC based on their goal difference in the semi-finals.

Bold text means the team was the host country.

Team	Champions	Runners-up	Third place	Fourth place	Semi-finalist	Top 4 total
Japan	4 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2011)	1 (2019)	N/A	1 (2007)	N/A	6
Saudi Arabia	3 (1984, 1988, 1996)	3 (1992, 2000, 2007)	N/A	N/A	N/A	6
Iran	3 (1968, 1972, 1976)	N/A	4 (1980, 1988, 1996, 2004)	1 (1984)	2 (2019, 2023)	10
South Korea	2 (1956, 1960)	4 (1972, 1980, 1988, 2015)	4 (1964, 2000, 2007, 2011)	N/A	1 (2023)	11
Qatar	2 (2019, 2023)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
Israel	1 (1964)	2 (1956, 1960)	1 (1968)	N/A	N/A	4
Kuwait	1 (1980)	1 (1976)	1 (1984)	1 (1996)	N/A	4
Australia	1 (2015)	1 (2011)	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
Iraq	1 (2007)	N/A	N/A	2 (1976, 2015)	N/A	3
China	N/A	2 (1984, 2004)	2 (1976, 1992)	2 (1988, 2000)	N/A	6
United Arab Emirates	N/A	1 (1996)	1 (2015)	1 (1992)	1 (2019)	4
India	N/A	1 (1964)	N/A	N/A	N/A	1
Myanmar	N/A	1 (1968)	N/A	N/A	N/A	1
Jordan	N/A	1 (2023)	N/A	N/A	N/A	1
Hong Kong	N/A	N/A	1 (1956)	1 (1964)	N/A	2
Chinese Taipei	N/A	N/A	1 (1960)	1 (1968)	N/A	2
Thailand	N/A	N/A	1 (1972)	N/A	N/A	1
Vietnam	N/A	N/A	N/A	2 (1956, 1960)	N/A	2
Cambodia	N/A	N/A	N/A	1 (1972)	N/A	1
North Korea	N/A	N/A	N/A	1 (1980)	N/A	1
Bahrain	N/A	N/A	N/A	1 (2004)	N/A	1
Uzbekistan	N/A	N/A	N/A	1 (2011)	N/A	1

Images for kids

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  AFC Asian Cup Results

Awards

After the tournament, several awards are given out:

• The Most Valuable Player award goes to the best player in the tournament.
• The Top Goalscorer award is for the player who scores the most goals.
• The Best Goalkeeper award is for the most outstanding goalkeeper.
• The Team of the Tournament is a special team made up of the best players from all the teams.
• The Fair Play Award is given to the team that shows the best sportsmanship.

See also

In Spanish: Copa Asiática para niños

• Asian Games
• AFC Women's Asian Cup
• AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
• AFC U-23 Asian Cup
• AFC U-20 Asian Cup
• AFC U-17 Asian Cup
• AFF Championship
• CAFA Championship
• EAFF E-1 Football Championship
• SAFF Championship
• WAFF Championship