Kuala Lumpur: The preparations and plans to stage the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ marked its latest milestone after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Qatar Football Association (QFA) held their first meeting on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar.

The AFC delegation, led by AFC Deputy Director, Competitions and Football Events Division, Avazbek Berdikulov, met with QFA General Secretary Mansoor Mohammed Al-Ansari as well as key representatives from the relevant functional and operational areas.
The two-day meeting provided an opportunity for both the AFC and QFA to align their collective expectations and set the stage to outline the key deliverables and relevant milestone timelines ahead of the Continental showpiece.

Some of the main topics discussed included the possible competition dates, venues as well as the inspection schedule with more details to be finalised and communicated in due course.

The AFC delegation also took the opportunity to convey its best wishes to the QFA as Qatar prepares to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will kick off on November 20 and marks only the second time Asia will host the global spectacle.

Both organisations also underlined their commitment to work in close partnership to deliver a successful tournament that will inspire and excite the Continent’s passionate fans whilst providing the ultimate stage for Asia’s best talent to shine.

The QFA were confirmed as the Organising Association of the 18th edition of the Continent’s most prestigious men’s national team tournament by the AFC Executive Committee at its 11th meeting on October 17, 2022.

Qatar, the reigning AFC Asian Cup™ champions, will become the first nation to stage Asia’s crown jewel on three occasions, having previously hosted the tournament in 1988 and 2011.