Historic AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 wins several awards

Doha, Qatar: The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has received several awards for a historic edition of the continental champ...

Doha, Qatar: The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has received several awards for a historic edition of the continental championship. Both Qatar Tourism and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognised the achievements made by Qatar in hosting the tournament earlier this year.

The LOC received two Qatar Tourism Awards for Premier Sports Events of the Year and Accessibility Initiative of the Year. The awards were presented to the LOC by Qatar Tourism and Visit Qatar Chairman H E Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona, and Regional Director (Middle East) Basma Al Mayman.

At the AFC Annual Awards, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) received the AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award for the tremendous role they played in delivering a memorable tournament. The Award was presented by Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, AFC President, to H E Jassim Rashid Al Buenain, QFA President.

The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 was hosted by Qatar in the beginning of 2024, having previously organised the competition twice before, in 1988 and 2011. The tournament, which saw Qatar defend its title on home soil, broke records for overall attendance, digital engagement and press coverage. A total of 86,492 spectators made their way to the iconic Lusail Stadium for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 final. With that, a record-breaking attendance of 1,509,496 fans was registered for the tournament, surpassing the previous attendance record of 1.04 million set during the 2004 edition hosted by China.

The 2023 edition of the AFC Asian Cup attracted the widest television coverage in the history of the tournament, with matches broadcasted by 60 television networks from over 160 countries worldwide. Additionally, more than 3,000 accredited media from 55 countries played a key role in sharing stories from the pitch with the rest of the world.