Asian Cup football group stage: Klinsmann’s first win in 63 years
Klinsmann’s men will be looking to win their first Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup title in 63 years when they take on Bahrain in their opening group game.
The AFC Asian Cup Organising Committee announced the details of the tournament today, including the group stage match times. Jürgen Klinsmann’s (pictured) side will open their Group E campaign against Bahrain at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar on 15 January at 8.30pm local time. They will then face Jordan at the Altoumama Stadium on 20 January at the same time, before taking on Kim Pang Gon’s Malaysia at the Al Janub Stadium on 25 January.
안전놀이터The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was initially scheduled to take place in China last July, but the tournament was moved to Qatar and the dates were pushed back to January-February 2024. The tournament will take place from 12 January to 10 February next year, with 24 nations competing in six groups.
If the Klinsmanns finish first in Group E, they will face the runner-up in Group D, which includes Japan, Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam, in the round of 16. If they finish second, they will face the winner of Group F, which includes Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman.
If they make it to the quarter-finals, they’ll play in a familiar stadium. Education City Stadium is where South Korea played all three of their group games at the World Cup in Qatar and reached the round of 16.
South Korea are a football powerhouse in Asia, but have a history of underperformance at the Asian Cup. They won the inaugural edition in 1954 and 1960.
At the last edition in 2019, they were knocked out early by Qatar in the quarter-finals. However, with the likes of Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) in the squad, they will be looking to win their first title in 63 years.