Qatar Asian Cup spectacle cram-full crowd

Article posted by Coliseum, February 8^th, 2024

Image: Coliseum GSVA

The ongoing edition of the Asian Cup in Qatar has been extremely popular with fan attendances soaring.

Snapshots:

1,068,587 fans have attended the 2023 Asian Cup so far;
Eleven (11) matches still to go in the tournament; and
The Asian Cup is being held in nine venues in and around Doha (capital of Qatar).

‘GOAL’ stated that the AFC Asian Cup 2023, currently ongoing in Qatar, has broken its all-time attendance figure to become the most attended Asian Cup in history.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is the ongoing 18^th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involves 24 national teams after expansion in 2019, with Qatar the defending champions. It is being held in Qatar from January 12^th, 2024 and will conclude on February 10^th, 2024.

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Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)-based the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal in most countries/territories in Asia. It has 47 members.

‘GOAL’ further stated that previously, the attendance record was 1.04 million. However, during the January 29^th knockout stage match between Qatar and Palestine, the tournament’s attendance figures touched 1,068,587. The figure is expected to rise even further.

The tournament has also broken digital engagement records. During the group stage alone, the tournament’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) social media accounts garnered 689 million impressions, five million engagements and 208 million video views, making it the highest level of engagement ever achieved by an AFC Asian Cup edition.

Qatar Rising

Jassim Al Jassim, head honcho of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC), highlighted the attendance figures and stated that it displayed Qatar’s capability to host and successfully deliver high-profile tournaments – “Once again, Qatar has reaffirmed its place as a global sporting capital. Our modern infrastructure and operational experience has enabled us to deliver yet another accessible and culturally engaging tournament to the highest standards. We’re delighted to be setting records this early in the tournament. With 11 matches still to go, the best is yet to come, with many teams showcasing exceptional performances.”

The Bigger Picture

The Asian Cup 2023 is the first high-profile tournament to be held in Qatar after the 2022 FIFA World Cup™. With the World Cup also a roaring success, the Asian Cup 2023 is part of the legacy of the World Cup.

Qatar is delighted that fans have attended in droves and have made it a successful tournament.

Interestingly, the opening game of the Asian Cup at the 88,966-capacity Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, drew an attendance of 82,490 fans, making it the most attended opening match in the Asian Cup history and marked the highest attendance for a Qatar home match.

Absolute Spectacle

Qatar is hosting the AFC Asian Cup for a record third time after successfully hosting it in 1988 and 2011.

The final of the ongoing edition is set to be held on February 10^th and promises to be an absolute spectacle.

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