2023 AFC Asian Cup Predictions – How to Bet

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is set to start on the 12^th of January and will conclude on the 10^th of February 2024. It is the 18^th edition of the international men’s football championship in Asia, regulated by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Have a read through our 2023 AFC Asian Cup predictions to learn more about the teams involved, the groups, and the odds for the favorite teams to win the competition.

An Introduction to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is a competition that is hosted every four years. It is the second time, after the 2019 Cup, that 24 national sides will feature in the competition. Qatar, the defending champions, is the hosts of the 2023 edition of the tournament.

The competition will feature a variety of national teams that belong to the AFC Confederation. Some of the previous winners, including Japan (four-time winners), Saudi Arabia (three-time winners), Iran (three-time winners), South Korea (two-time winners), Iraq (one-time winner), Australia (one-time winner) and Qatar (one-time winner) will all represent at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

In our 2023 AFC Asian Cup predictions, we take a look at the teams that belong to each of the groups and the venues. Once we have reviewed these aspects of the competition, we provide you with an idea of the bookies favourite teams to win the competition and how to bet on the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. You will find a variety of online sportsbook sites in Qatar that have many betting markets for the upcoming tournament.

2023 AFC Asian Cup Groups

Group A

Group A comprises Qatar, China, Tajikistan, and Lebanon. Qatar, the hosts, are expected to be strong contenders. They will face China, who have had a downturn in recent years due to the impact of the pandemic on the Chinese Super League.

Tajikistan is making its debut at the Asian Cup, and Lebanon, under new management, is in a rebuilding phase​.

Group B

In Group B, Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, and India will face off. Australia is battle-tested and primed for a run following a historic World Cup performance. Uzbekistan, under Srecko Katenac, has rebuilt its team around Spezia striker Eldor Shomurodov. Syria, led by Hector Cuper, has a talented side, while India is viewed as an outsider in this group​.

Group C

Group C includes Iran, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Palestine, and Hong Kong. Iran will be one of the favorites to win the group, having shown good form in recent years. The UAE, on the other hand, has been struggling since their 4-0 defeat by Qatar in the 2019 edition. Palestine and Hong Kong’s performance will be interesting to watch as they are newer to the tournament​.

Group D

Group D will see Japan, Iraq, Vietnam, and Indonesia compete. Iraq, under the guidance of Spaniard Jesus Casas, is expected to be competitive, but their real challenge will be to compete with elite nations such as Japan. Details on Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia are still to be collected​.

Group E

Group E brings together South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain. South Korea, a two-time champion, holds a strong position in the group. They boast a high FIFA ranking and have a rich history in the tournament. Malaysia is set to make its fourth appearance, although they’ve never advanced beyond the group stage.

Jordan, a team with some solid performances in the past, made it to the quarter-finals twice and will look to build on those achievements. Finally, Bahrain, with its seventh appearance, previously achieved fourth place in 2004 and could be a dark horse in the competition​.

Group F

In Group F, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman are set to compete. Saudi Arabia, a three-time champion, is considered a strong contender due to its past successes and relatively high FIFA ranking. Thailand, despite having a lower FIFA ranking, has previously achieved a third-place finish in the tournament.

Kyrgyzstan, making their second appearance, reached the round of 16 in 2019, which suggests they are a team on the rise. Lastly, Oman, with its fifth appearance, also reached the round of 16 in 2019 and might aim to improve on that result​.

2023 AFC Asian Cup Venues

Eight stadiums across four host cities in Qatar were chosen as venues for the tournament. This includes the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, which is set to host the opening match on 12 January, and the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, which will host the semi-finals. The final match will also be held at the Al Bayt Stadium on 10 February​. Discover how to attend the AFC Asian Cup 2023 on this link.

The stadiums included are:

Al Bayt Stadium – Located in Al Khor – 68,895 Capacity

Khalifa International Stadium – Located in Al Rayyan – 45,857 Capacity

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium – Located in Al Rayyan – 45,032 Capacity

Education City Stadium – Located in Al Rayyan – 44,667 Capacity

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium – Located in Al Rayyan – 15,000 Capacity

Al Thumama Stadium – Located in Doha – 44,400 Capacity

Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium – Located in Doha – 10,000 Capacity

Al Janoub Stadium – Located in Al Wakrah – 44,325 Capacity

Feel free to take a look at our article on Where to Stay During the 2023 AFC Asian Cup to find the cheapest, most expensive and optimal locations to stay at for the competition. 

AFC Asian Cup Predictions – Outright Betting Market

Qatar

Online sportsbook news in Qatar appears to back the host nation as one of the favourites to win the competition. It would be an impressive feat, as Qatar, the defending-champions, could become the first team since Japan to win the competition in successive editions of the tournament.

Japan

While Qatar is considered as a favourite to win the tournament, they will face healthy competition from a variety of other teams. One of which is the record four-time winners, Japan. The Japanese team has always been an impressive squad in international football competitions.

Most recently, they were one of the standout teams during the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, eliminating Germany and topping a group that also featured Spain and Costa Rica. Japan has an abundance of talent, most notably their star talisman, Kauro Mitomo.

South Korea

Japan and Qatar are not the only teams to be backed as favourites to win the competition. South Korea have featured at the tournament a joint-record 15 times, having won the competition twice. They have an exceptional group of talent, most recently performing well at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

They qualified from their group, featuring Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana. South Korea are led by their top player, Heung Min Son. They last won the tournament in 1960, meaning they are long-overdue a success AFC Asian Cup title.

Iran

The final team and perhaps dark horse to keep an eye on is Iran. The Iranian national team qualified to the World Cup and played some incredible football. Although they were eliminated from the group stage, Iran has a fantastic record at the AFC Asian Cup. They qualified to the tournament 15 times, winning the competition three years in a row from 1968 to 1976. To date, they are the only team to have ever won the competition three time on the trot.

How to Bet on the 2023 AFC Asian Cup

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is drawing ever closer, and now that you have discovered the outright odds of the teams to win the tournament, there is still time to learn how to bet. The competition will include a variety of betting markets, as we will describe below. Continue reading to learn some of the many betting markets offered at 20Bet Sportsbook, and other online bookies, for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup tournament.

Outright Winner

Let’s start with a straightforward and very popular wager – selecting who you think will triumph in the tournament. You could place your bet on the team you believe will emerge victorious, or you could go for an each-way bet, which means you’ll still get a payout even if your team makes it to the finals but doesn’t win. Would you prefer to play it safe and back the pre-tournament favourite, or would you like to take a chance and choose from among several potential underdogs to lift the trophy in Qatar?

Group Winner

With six groups in the competition, there’s plenty to think about. Some groups seem clear cut, whilst others are trickier to predict. Experience shows that there are always a few surprises. If you’re feeling confident, you could consider a six-fold-accumulator – correctly predicting the winner of all six groups is a significant achievement with potentially big rewards. Have a look at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Groups on this link. 

To Reach the Final/Semi-final/Quarter-final

Now that the draw and matches are set, people worldwide are plotting their country’s path to the final. You might use a good old-fashioned wall chart or one of the many online prediction tools; this is always a popular market.

If you’re supporting a less fancied team in the tournament, guessing which teams will reach the later stages could be a good bet.

Top Goal Scorer

This is a widely debated market. The decision here is based on who you think will score the most goals in the tournament. There’s a whole host of top-notch strikers aiming for this title, from South Korea’s Heung Min Son to Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma, so it won’t be easy. Will you base your decision on the league performance of your favoured player, or might you pick a less obvious contender? It’s up to you.

Player of The Tournament

A much-talked-about market, also known as the Golden Ball winner. As the squads start to be announced, deciding who you think will peak at the right time provides an interesting bet for the competition.

Match Betting – Win, Lose, Draw

This is one of the most prevalent football betting markets – choosing the result of each match, either a home win, draw or away win. With 51 games to be played, this market provides countless opportunities to stay engaged with every match. To up the ante, you could go for an accumulator, where you bet on the result of several matches in one wager. This raises the potential winnings but also the risk, as a loss in any one of your picks means losing the whole bet.

Match Betting – First Goalscorer

In this market, your task is to pick the player you think will score the first goal in a match. Will you go for the on-form strikers, or might you choose a midfielder or a defender who could score from a set piece, thereby increasing your potential for higher odds? This market offers interesting choices for each match.

Match Betting – Both Teams to Score

This market is quite clear-cut, with only two possibilities. You can bet ‘yes’ if you think both teams will score in a match, or ‘no’ if you predict one of the sides will keep a clean sheet. You need to think about which matches will be high scoring, and which will be more guarded.

Correct Score

This market can offer tempting odds, but it’s one of the hardest to predict correctly. Your task is to choose the exact score of the match. Remember, anything less than a perfect guess means your bet is lost. If you’re feeling confident, you could make a daring prediction and reap the rewards.

Special Markets

As the tournament gets nearer, some ‘special markets’ will start to appear. These are usually more specific, such as who will be chosen for each squad, which team will get the most yellow cards, and who will win the golden glove. This makes for an exciting 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

The Bottom Line

As seen in our 2023 AFC Asian Cup predictions, there are a variety of teams and players to bet on. Furthermore, many online sportsbook sites offer a plethora of betting markets, as discussed above. With so many markets to choose from now is the time to consider who you will place your faith in and where your bets will lie. The epic drama of the AFC Asian Cup is just around the corner

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