Predicting the team that will lift the AFC Asian Cup is not something that has any value at this stage as football, time and again, has proven to be a strange game, full of surprises, and winning a title in the most prestigious tournament can have twists and turns that not even the best analyst can predict.
However, what can be said makes sense is the ranking and performance of the teams beforehand and the expected results based on the earlier performance.
Japan: Without a shadow of a doubt, Japan sits right at the top of the ranking and their chances of lifting the trophy for the fourth time are quite high. Not only did the Japanese perform well at the Asian level, they even managed to beat the best of Europe in their own home. A 4-1 result against Germany will stand as a monument of the might of the Japanese and the resilience, power, and strength of depth of this team. Japan also put 4 past Turkey and Canada also beat Tunisia 2-0. Before that Japan toyed with El Salvador beating them 6-0 and five days later Japan gave Peru a lesson in football with a 4-1 win just before humiliating Germany 4-1.
It does not take much expertise to predict that Japan is the team to beat. that is easier said than done.
TEAM INFO
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu (from 2018-)
Injured or Suspect Players: Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal) – Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)
LAST FIVE MATCHES
Odds: 1 : 3.2
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South Korea has a star-studded squad, and by the virtue of having perhaps the best Asian footballer in Son Heung-Min, the chances of this team are only second to Japan. Despite their results not matching the greatness of Japan, they are still a powerful team with a great military-like discipline that has a lot to say in Qatar. They have demonstrated their strength against Iran and can surprise any of the teams. The recent appointment of the German Jurgen Klinsmann and and former hero Ch Du-ri as an assistant and perhaps an interpreter as Cha is fluent in German, shows that the Korean FA are determined to seriously challenge for the title that eluded them since 1956. A strong team with many stars playing in Europe the Koreans are confident that this might be their year.
TEAM INFO
Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann (from 2023)
Injured or Suspect Players: NONE
LAST FIVE MATCHES
| 3/10/23 | FRI | Korea Republic | 4 – 0 | Tunisia |
| 17/10/23 | FRI | Korea Republic | 6 – 0 | Vietnam |
| 16/11/23 | AWC | Korea Republic | 5 – 0 | Singapore |
| 21/11/23 | AWC | China PR | 0 – 3 | Korea Republic |
| 06/01/24 | FRI | Iraq | 0 – 1 | Korea Republic |
Odds: 1 : 5.5
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Iran, under Amir Ghalenoei, has proven to be one of the strongest in Asia and a difficult team to beat. Despite a few problems and shortfalls the team has enough talent to seriously challenge the likes of Japan and South Korea. In Azmoun and Taremi, Iran has a prolific duo up front not matched by any other Asian team. A near-half-century wait to lift the Asian Cup will give the Persians the greatest motive in making this tournament one to remember for the Iranian Fans.
TEAM INFO
Coach: Amir Ghalenoei (from 2022)
Injured or Suspect Players: Ramin Rezaeian (under treatment)
LAST FIVE MATCHES
| 17/10/23 | FRI | Qatar | 0 – 4 | IR Iran |
| 16/11/23 | AWC | IR Iran | 4 – 0 | Hong Kong, China |
| 21/11/23 | AWC | Uzbekistan | 2 – 2 | IR Iran |
| 05/01/24 | FRI | IR Iran | 2 – 1 | Burkina Faso |
| 09/01/24 | FRI | Indonesia | 0 – 5 | IR Iran |
Odds: 1:8
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Australia, a powerhouse in Asian football a team that has already lifted the title once at home in 2015. The Socceroos is still a force to be reckoned with in this year’s edition. The Socceroos are a mix of experienced and young players with 19 of the 26 currently plying trade in European leagues while only four are playing in the domestic A-League. The remaining three play in Japan and Saudi Arabia.
TEAM INFO
Coach: Graham Arnold (from 2018)
Injured or Suspect Players: None
LAST FIVE MATCHES
| 13/10/23 | FRI | England | 1 – 0 | Australia |
| 17/10/23 | FRI | Australia | 2 – 0 | New Zealand |
| 16/11/23 | AWC | Australia | 7 – 0 | Bangladesh |
| 21/11/23 | AWC | Palestine | 0 – 1 | Australia |
| 06/01/24 | FRI | Bahrain | 0 – 2 | Australia |
Odds: 1:6.5
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Saudi Arabia: Conquerors of Argentina in the group stage at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia are is on nearly equal terms in challenging for the trophy with Iran and Australia.
The Saudi Pro League underwent a huge transformation in 2023 with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Neymar headlining an importation of talent that lifted the competition to a new level. That uplift will, in turn, have had a trickle-down effect on the Saudi players already plying their trade in the league. The recruitment of the most expensive coach in the tournament shows how the Saudi Government is determined to win this Asian Cup. Surprisingly, the last two friendly matches against Hong Kong and Palestine, both Team Mellio opponents at the group stages, were less than convincing.
TEAM INFO
Coach: Roberto Mancini (from 2023)
Injured or Suspect Players: None
LAST FIVE MATCHES
| 16/11/23 | AWC | Saudi Arabia | 4 – 0 | Pakistan |
| 21/11/23 | AWC | Jordan | 0 – 2 | Saudi Arabia |
| 04/01/24 | FRI | Saudi Arabia | 1 – 0 | Lebanon |
| 09/01/24 | FRI | Saudi Arabia | 0 – 0 | Palestine |
| 10/01/24 | FRI | Saudi Arabia | 2 – 0 | Hong Kong |
Odds: 1:8
outsiders
Uzbekistan intends to gate-crash the party. The Central Asian teams have seen a big stride in football from youth to senior level. In this third stint at the helm of an Asian nation, Katanec will be — at the very least — looking to achieve with Uzbekistan what he managed with Iraq at the 2019 Asian Cup, when he led his former side to the round of 16 before they were beaten by eventual champions Qatar. The team has many young players augmenting the experiences of the likes of Eldor Shomurodov a player who has been the best in Uzbekistan football in the last few years.
Qatar: The Defending Champions and Host is considered an outsider. The Team has suffered under the Carlos Queiroz regime. The Qatari selectors failed in their due diligence in picking Queiroz who is a devotee of defensive football while the Qatari Team has always thrived in their attacking mentality. That marriage did not last long and now Qatar under a new head coach Tintin Márquez has a mountain to climb. An experienced Spaniard drafted in from Qatar Stars League side Al Wakrah, Márquez was appointed less than a month out from the Asian Cup after the Qatar FA sacked former Real Madrid boss Carlos Queiroz.