It's been a fascinating, frantic competition, but we now have our AFC Asian Cup winners.. Hosts Qatar saw of a Jordan side who impressed throughout the tournament, not least their semi-final win of South Korea.
Like the Africa Cup of Nations, which is taking place concurrently, the Asian Cup was originally scheduled to take place last year. However, the start was pushed back January 12 due to the hot temperatures in the host nation.
Below is our guide to how to watch AFC Asian Cup games, including free streams.
Qatar overcame Iran in a topsy-turvy semi-final. Having gone behind early on, the hosts equalised via Jassem Gaber. They took the lead just before halftime before being pegged back by a penalty. However, an 82nd-minute Almoez Ali goal gave The Maroons the chance to defend their title on home soil, something they did successfully. A high-energy Jordan side must didn't have one more shock in them and the hosts retain their title.
There is no third and fourth-place playoff in the AFC Asian Cup, so it is straight on to the final on Saturday. The holders will be the favourites, but Jordan have shocked everyone this tournament so expect a very exciting occasion.
Luckily, there are lots of ways to keep up with all the action. Read on and we will show you how to do so. Keep checking in on this page as the tournament goes on as we will keep you up to date.
How to watch AFC Asian Cup for free
Football fans in Oz can watch all Australia games – plus the semis and the final – for FREE on 10play.
Over in Indonesia, RCTI+ has FREE live streams of the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
And in the US, soccer fans can get a FREE 7-day trial of Paramount Plus.
But what if you're based in one of those countries but aren't at home for a particular AFC Asian Cup live stream?
Don't worry — you can watch your local streaming service via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
How to watch AFC Asian Cup 2023 live streams in the US
Soccer fans in the U.S. can watch AFC Asian Cup live streams on Paramount Plus. That costs $5.99/month for the basic package or $11.99 without ads, but there's currently a 7-day FREE trial, so it's well worth checking out if you haven't used it before.
If you already use this service but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can watch the AFC Asian Cup live streams by using a VPN such as ExpressVPN.
How to watch AFC Asian Cup 2023 from anywhere with a VPN
You can watch the Asian Cup 2023 2023 on any of the streaming services above by using a VPN – no matter where you are in the world!
Normally a streaming service will know where you are trying to tune in from and block you if you're not in the right country but a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an app that hides your location. That means you can access your usual sports and entertainment services even while you're traveling abroad.
Our favorite VPN is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar. They have a helpful guide on the best VPN services if you'd like a full read.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
How to watch AFC Asian Cup 2023 live streams in the UK
Football fans in the UK can watch all the games from the AFC Asian Cup on Triller TV+. It costs $7.99 for a month or $69.99 for the year. There is also a 7-day free trial available.
If you already use this service, previously known as Fite, but aren't in the U.K. right now, you can watch the AFC Asian Cup live streams by using a VPN such as ExpressVPN.
How to watch AFC Asian Cup 2023 live streams in Australia
Your AFC Asian Cup questions
When does the AFC Asian Cup take place?
The AFC Asian Cup begins on January 12 with Qatar vs Lebanon. That match kicks off at 8 am PT, 11 am ET, 4 pm GMT. The final will take place on February 10, 2024.
Where does AFC Asian Cup take place?
The tournament takes place in different nations each time, with the AFC Asian Cup 2023 hosted by Qatar. It will use seven of the stadiums see at the 2022 World Cup, as well as two more. The final will take place at the Lusail Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 89,000.
Who are the top players?
There are a huge number of top players on display at the AFC Asian Cup. South Korea are led by Spurs superstar Son Heung-min. He will be joined by Wolves' Hwang Hee-chan and Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae, who was recently named his country's Player of the Year. Japan, meanwhile, are skippered by Liverpool’s Wataru Endo. Brighton’s Karou Mitoma and Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu are also in the Samuari Blues squad.
2015 winners Australia feature Harry Souttar of Championship leaders Leicester and AZ Alkmaar's Matt Ryan in goal.
Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored that famous winner against Argentina in the last World Cup, is once again in the Saudi Arabia squad. Teammate Firas Al-Buraikan has netted 11 times in 17 games in the Saudi Pro League, the most of any home player in that division.
The home fans will again put huge expectations on their star player, Akram Afif.
What is the AFC Asian Cup 2023 mascot?
Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh, a family of five desert rodents, serve as mascots for the tournament. This is not the first time they've done the job - they featured when Qatar last held the AFC Asian Cup in 2011.
Ahmed Al Maadheed, the artist who created them explained:
"From the very beginning, we wanted to do something that inspired families and young people to be a part of the Asian Cup," Al Maadheed said. “We wanted to do dig deep into our rich ecological heritage and find an animal that could represent the best of what happens on the pitch and also in our daily lives, and that was the jerboa."
What is the official ball for the AFC Asian Cup 2023?
Players at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be using the 'VORTEXAC23' ball, which FIFA describes as a "vibrant orb of ingenuity". It was made by sports brand Kelme, was specially designed for the tournament, and features its logo.
What is the theme song for the AFC Asian Cup 2023?
You can't have a tournament without a theme song! For the AFC Asian Cup 2023 it is a track called "Hadaf", performed by Fahad Al Hajjaji & Humood AlKhudher. The title is the Arabic word for "goal", so let's hope it inspires plenty of them at the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Groups
- Group A: Qatar, China, Lebanon, Tajikistan
- Group B: Australia, Syria, India, Uzbekistan
- Group C: Iran, UAE, Hong Kong, Palestine
- Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam
- Group E: South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahrain
- Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Oman
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Fixtures
Friday, January 12
Qatar vs Lebanon: 3-0
Saturday, January 14
Australia vs India: 2-0
China vs Tajikistan: 0-0
Uzbekistan vs Syria: 0-0
Sunday, January 14
Japan vs Vietnam: 4-2
UAE vs Hong Kong: 3-1
Iran vs Palestine: 4-1
Monday, January 15
South Korea vs Bahrain: 3-1
Indonesia vs Iraq: 1-3
Malaysia vs Jordan: 0-4
Tuesday, January 16
Thailand vs Kyrgyzstan: 2-0
Saudi Arabia vs Oman: 2-1
Wednesday, January 17
Lebanon vs China: 0-0
Tajikistan vs Qatar: 0-1
Thursday, January 18
Syria vs Australia: 0-1
India vs Uzbekistan: 0-3
Palestine vs UAE: 1-1
Friday, January 19
Iraq vs Japan: 2-1
Vietnam vs Indonesia: 0-1
Hong Kong vs Iran: 0-1
Saturday, January 20
Jordan vs South Korea: 2-2
Bahrain vs Malaysia: 1-0
Sunday, January 21
Oman vs Thailand - 0-0
Kyrgyzstan vs Saudi Arabia: 0-2
Monday, January 22
Qatar vs China: 1-0
Tajikistan vs Lebanon: 2-1
Tuesday, January 23
Australia vs Uzbekistan: 1-1
Syria vs India: 1-0
Hong Kong vs Palestine: 0-3
Iran vs UAE: 2-1
Wednesday, January 24
Japan vs Indonesia: 3-1
Iraq vs Vietnam: 3-2
Thursday, January 25
South Korea vs Malaysia: 3-3
Jordan vs Bahrain: 0-1
Kyrgyzstan vs Oman: 1-1
Saudi Arabia vs Thailand: 0-0
Sunday, January 28
R16 1 Australia vs Indonesia: 4-0
R16 2 Tajikistan vs UAE: 1-1 (Tajikistan win 5-3 on penalties)
Monday, January 29
R16 3: Qatar vs Palestine: 2-1
R16 4: Iraq vs Jordan: 2-3
Tuesday, January 30
R16 5: Uzbekistan vs Thailand: 2-1
R16 6: Saudi Arabia vs South Korea: 1-1 (2-4 pens)
Wednesday, January 31
R16 7: Bahrain vs Japan: 1-3
R16 8: Iran vs Syria: 1-1 (5-3 pens)
Friday, February 2
QF 1: Tajikistan vs Jordan - 0-1
QF 2: Australia vs South Korea - 1-2 (AET)
Saturday, February 3
QF 3: Iran vs Japan: 2-1
QF 4: Qatar vs Uzbekistan: 1-1 (3-2 pens)
Tuesday, February 6
SF 1 Jordan vs South Korea: 2-0
Wednesday, February 7
SF 2 Iran vs Qatar: 2-3
Saturday, February 10
Final: Jordan vs Qatar: 1-3
