Doha: Qatar has been drawn in Group D alongside Japan and Palestine for the football tournament of Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. The 27th of July saw the release of the schedule for the continental competition. It's interesting that this news broke around the same time that Qatar's male national team was drawn for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying round. The men’s football tournament at the Asian Games 2023 will be an U-23 affair with a maximum of three senior players allowed in each squad. A total of 23 teams will compete for medals at Hangzhou. For the group stage, the teams were divided into six groups - five with four each and one with three. The Republic of Korea, who are the reigning champions and the most successful team in the competition with five gold medals, are in Group E. The top two teams of each group and the four best third-placed teams across all groups will progress to the round of 16. The Asian Games football tournament will begin on September 19, just before the Games' official start on September 23. On October 7, the second-to-last day of the games, the final match will take place. Group A: China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India Group B: Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mongolia Group C: Uzbekistan, Syria, Hong Kong, Afghanistan Group D: Japan, Palestine, Qatar Group E: South Korea, Bahrain, Thailand, Kuwait Group F: North Korea, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Chinese Taipei