Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima revealed on Wednesday that his country was offered to host the 2023 Asian Cup after China pulled out due to the effects of the Corona virus.
The Japanese newspaper Nikkei Sports quoted Tashima as saying that the Asian Football Confederation had contacted the Japan Football Association about the possibility of organizing a continental championship and stated, “We have been approached. If Japan is destined to host the championship tournament, no doubt it will be exciting.”
China has apologized for not hosting the Asian Cup due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which the Confederation announced last Saturday, at a time when the country is grappling with the worst spread of the Corona virus since the outbreak began.
The tournament was scheduled to be held in 10 cities from June 16 to July 16, 2023 with 24 teams, after China was chosen as the venue on June 5, 2019 at an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly in Paris.
The Asian Cup is added to a series of events in China that have been canceled or postponed, most notably the Asian Games Hanju 2022, which was scheduled for September, 200 kilometers from Shanghai, hit by the pandemic.
Teams from China (former host), Japan, Syria, Qatar, South Korea, Australia, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Vietnam and Lebanon have qualified for the tournament, scheduled to end June 8-14, according to the pool system.
Japan holds the record for most titles (4) against Saudi Arabia and Iran (3), while Qatar won its first-ever title in 2019 in the UAE.
