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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will have a mammoth task ahead of them for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
The draw conducted at the Katara Opera House in Doha today saw Malaysia drawn into Group E with South Korea, Jordan and Bahrain.
This will be Malaysia’s fourth appearance in the tournament, having qualified for 1976, 1980 editions and as co-hosts with Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam in 2007.
Unlike in 2007, Harimau Malaya qualified for the upcoming Qatar edition on merit, finishing second in Group E behind group winners Bahrain in the third round of qualifying.
Malaysia started their qualifying campaign by beating Turkmenistan 3-1.
Despite losing 2-1 to Bahrain, the national squad secured automatic qualification by defeating Bangladesh 4-1 in their final group match.
Defending champions Qatar will face China, Tajikistan and Lebanon in Group A.
The 2023 tournament was set to be hosted in China from June 16 until 16 July this year.
However, China had to pull out of hosting duties due to circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s subsequent zero-Covid-19 policy.
Qatar were then announced as tournament hosts for a record third time, having done so in 1988 and 2011.
The tournament will kick off on January 12 and will run until February 10 next year.
Group A
Qatar
China
Tajikistan
Lebanon
Group B
Australia
Uzbekistan
Syria
India
Group C
Iran
United Arab Emirates
Hong Kong
Palestine
Group D
Japan
Indonesia
Iraq
Vietnam
Group E
South Korea
Malaysia
Jordan
Bahrain
Group F
Saudi Arabia
Thailand
Kyrgyz Republic
Oman – The Vibes, May 11, 2023