The 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), was held in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, 2024. Although China was the rightful host, the AFC announced that China would not host the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s zero-COVID policy.

There were 24 national teams, with Qatar participating in the event as the defending champions. The 24 teams were divided into Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, and Group F, with four teams falling into one group each. Real Research surveyed who the possible victor of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 would be.

  • 46% predicted Qatar would win in the group stage.
  • Both Palestine and Hong Kong from Group C have equal chances of winning the AFC Asian Cup, according to 16%.
  • 46.17% predicted Saudi Arabia would win ahead of its group.

Qatar Has the Upper Hand on Home Soil

Qatar, China, Tajikistan, and Lebanon were in Group A. 45.6% predicted that Qatar would be the team to win the AFC Asian Cup in Group A,  21.93% thought China would be the winner, and 14.33% and 18.13% predicted Tajikistan and Lebanon to win, respectively, in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Group Stage.

Respondents highly favored Lebanon to be runners-up in Group A. As such, 28.43% predicted Lebanon would take second place, 27.77% predicted Qatar, 23.13% predicted China, and 20.67% predicted Tajikistan would win second place in the AFC Asian Cup.

41.67% predicted Australia in Group B to be the winner, while 21.17% predicted India, with 21.13% predicting Uzbekistan and 16.03% predicting Syria to be the champions of the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Uzbekistan was preferred as the most likely country in Group B to take second place, with 29.67% predicting it. 26.20% predicted India, 25.20% predicted Australia, and 18.93% predicted Syria to win second place within Group B.

40.83% predicted Iran from Group C to win the AFC Asian Cup 2023 championship. The United Arab Emirates was the next best preference, as 26.07% predicted the UAE to be the winner. There was hardly any difference in response for the remaining two countries. 16.87% predicted Palestine, while 16.23% predicted Hong Kong to win the trophy.

The United Arab Emirates was predicted to be the team that could win second place in Group C by 36.77%, and Iran was predicted at 24.03%. Hong Kong and Palestine had no contrast in respondents, as 19.87% predicted Hong Kong and 19.33% predicted Palestine.

Among the teams in Group D, Japan was predicted as the team to win the AFC Asian Cup 2023 championship by a majority (47.43%). 20.1% predicted Iraq to be the winner, 16.60% predicted Indonesia, and 15.87% predicted Vietnam.

Iraq trumped the rest of the teams in its groups, with 32.4% predicting it to win second place in the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Japan had 23.47% predicting it to win second place. Respondents predicting Indonesia outnumbered the respondents predicting Vietnam by a narrow margin, with 22.2% and 21.93%, respectively.

South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain belong to Group E. 51.7% predicted South Korea, while the rest of the three countries showed minute variations in respondents. 17.63% predicted Malaysia, 15.53% said Jordan, and 15.13% chose Bahrain to win in Group E.

The prediction for the team to spot second place in Group E was almost evenly distributed. Bahrain is predicted to take second place by 28.73%. 27.13% chose Malaysia, while Jordan and South Korea had 22% and 22.13%, respectively, predicting it.

Saudi Arabia Head and Shoulders in Group F

Saudi Arabia was head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in Group F, as 46.17% of respondents predicted it to win. Thailand had 19.57%, while Kyrgyzstan and Oman had 17.73% and 16.53%, respectively, predicting it to win. 

The respondents were almost evenly distributed among the countries in Group F when it came to the prediction of taking second place. Kyrgyzstan had 27.13% predicting it, Thailand had 25.67% predicting it, Oman had 23.53%, and Saudi Arabia had 23.67% predicting it.