Football fans will turn their eyes on Saturday to Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, where the final match of the AFC Asian Cup will be held between defending champions and hosts Qatar, and their Jordanian counterpart, who are playing the Asian final for the first time in their history.
The whistle kicks off at six pm (18:00) Mecca and Qatar time and is managed by Chinese referee Ma Ning.
This is the third Arab encounter in the history of the final matches of the Asian Cup, after the 1996 edition where Saudi Arabia won the title at the expense of the United Arab Emirates and the 2007 edition in which Iraq won the title after beating Saudi Arabia 1-0.
The team seeks “Al-Nashama” to continue its brilliance and lift the continental championship cup for the first time in its history in its first arrival to the final match.
On the other hand, the “Annabi” home and the public seeks to become the fifth team to retain its title in the Asian Cup.
Four teams have so far retained their title: South Korea (1956, 1960), Iran (1968, 1972, 1976), Saudi Arabia (1984, 1988) and Japan (2000, 2004).
It is noteworthy that Jordan qualified for the final after beating South Korea by two goals for nothing in the Golden Square, while Qatar reached the final by beating Iran 3-2 in the semi-finals.
شغفنا بكرة القدم يجعلنا نترقب غداً النهائي المثير بين الأخوة العرب "العنابي والنشامى". ما هي توقعاتكم؟#هَيّا_آسيا #كأس_آسيا2023 pic.twitter.com/KPUiOcLKs5
— كأس آسيا قطر 2023 (@Qatar2023) February 9, 2024
Asian Nations Cup Final: Qatar triumphs over Jordan with a score of 3-1, securing the title (Video)