First played in 1956, the Asian Football Conference (AFC) Asian Cup is the world’s second-oldest continental football championship behind Copa América. Contested every four years in one of the 47 member nations of the AFC, the two-stage tournament has been held in South Korea, Iran, China, and Lebanon, among other countries. The tournament draw featured 16 of the top senior men’s national teams from 2004 to 2015, but it expanded to 24 teams for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was pushed to early 2024 due to extreme heat during the summer months in host nation Qatar. Of the 24 teams in the draw, 20 were returning from the 2019 edition and Tajikistan was the only one making its Asian Cup debut. Hong Kong also qualified for the first time since hosting the inaugural AFC Asian Cup in 1956.
Below is a look back at the winners of the four most recent Asian Cups.
1. Qatar (2019)
Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 2019, beating Japan 3-1 in the final at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The victory marked arguably the greatest achievement for the country’s football team and was one of its greatest sporting moments in history. It was also unexpected with Qatar entering the tournament ranked No. 93 in the world and having a young and inexperienced roster led by the relatively unknown Felix Sanchez, the former U-23 coach who replaced Jorge Fossati in 2017.
Qatar finished first in Group E with a perfect 3-0 record, outscoring its opponents 10-0. They scored a 1-0 victory over Iraq in the Round of 16 and earned a spot in the semi-finals with a 1-0 win over South Korea. They shocked host nation UAE 4-0 in the semis. Almoez Ali, Abdelaziz Hatim, and Akram Hassan Afif scored for Qatar in its 3-1 final win over Japan. Ali, who was part of the U-23 program with Sanchez, led all players with nine goals in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and won Most Valuable Player. No other player scored more than four goals.
2. Australia (2015)
Australia, which joined the AFC in 2007, hosted and won the tournament in 2015, becoming the first host nation to win since Japan in 1992. After finishing as runners-up to Japan in 2011, Australia opened the 16-team tournament with a 4-1 win over Kuwait and then beat Oman 4-0. They lost 1-0 to South Korea to finish second in Group A and earn one of eight spots in the knockout stage.
Australia earned its spot in the final with 2-0 victories over Poland China and the UAE in the quarterfinals and semi-finals, respectively. In a group stage rematch, they beat South Korea 2-1 in the final in extra time at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Massimo Luongo, who won player of the tournament with two goals and four assists, opened the scoring for Australia on a remarkable strike from long range prior to half-time, but South Korean standout Son Heung-min tied the game in injury time (90+2′). Substitute James Troisi scored the game-winning goal in the 105th minute, booting in a low cross from Tomi Juric.
The UAE beat Iraq 3-2 in the third-place game. UAE striker Ali Mabkhout led all players with five goals.
3. Japan (2011)
Japan won a record fourth AFC Asian Cup in 2011 and its third in four tournaments. Saudi Arabia and Iran are tied for second all-time with three titles. Held in Qatar for the first time since 1988, Japan finished first in Group B with a 2-1-0 record and a plus-six goal differential. They tied Jordan 1-1 in the opening game and followed that up with a 2-1 win over Syria and 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Japan beat host Qatar 3-2 in the six quarterfinals in dramatic fashion with Masahiko Inoha scoring the game-winning goal in the 89th minute. They beat South Korea 3-0 in penalties in the semis after playing to a 2-2 added extra time draw. Tadanari Lee scored the lone goal for Japan in its 1-0 extra time final win over Australia. Japan’s Keisuke Honda won Most Valuable Player and South Korea’s Koo Ja-cheol led all players with five goals.
4. Iraq (2007)
Iraq, which had never reached the final and only once played in the third-place game prior to 2007, won the gold medal this year with a 1-0 final victory over Saudi Arabia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Indonesia was one of four host nations for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup along with Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Iraq finished first in Group A with five points (1-2-0) and earned a spot in the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Vietnam in the quarters. They beat South Korea 4-3 in penalties following a scoreless draw in extra time in the semis. Younis Mahmoud Khalaf scored the only goal in Iran’s 1-0 final win over Saudi Arabia.