The Maroons enter the competition as the reigning champions, while the Cedars failed to progress beyond the group stage in the last edition in United Arab Emirates back in 2019.
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The AFC Asian Cup 2024 is set to kick off in Qatar with the hosts taking on Lebanon in a Group A fixture at Lusail Stadium on Friday. Following China’s withdrawal as hosts due to post-pandemic legal restrictions, the 2022 World Cup hosts was chosen as the destination for the delayed Continental tournament and will now be the hosts of the competition for the third time in history. The Maroons enter the competition as the reigning champions, while the Cedars failed to progress beyond the group stage in the last edition in United Arab Emirates back in 2019.
The first match for #AlAnnabi 🇶🇦 in #AsianCup2023 🏆:
⚽ Qatar 🆚 Lebanon
🗓️ Friday, January 12, 2024
🎬 Opening Ceremony: 17:00
⏰ Kick-off: 19:00
🏟️ Lusail Stadium#LetsWin 💪 pic.twitter.com/aD7cujUBLX— Qatar Football Association (@QFA_EN) January 10, 2024
Qatar lifted their maiden Asian Cup title five years ago courtesy of defeating four-time champion Japan 3-1 in the final in Abu Dhabi. However, since then, the Maroons have undergone major changes, ending bottom of their group in the World Cup and failing to earn a single point, the Qatar Football Association decided to part ways with Spanish tactician Felix Sanchez. Carlos Sanchez was appointed as Sanchez’s successor but the QFA decided to part ways with the 70-year-old because of inconsistent results. Tim Marquez will now oversee the side for the AFC Asian Cup and has had mixed start to life in his new role, starting with a 3-0 thrashing of Cambodia on New Year’s Eve before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Jordan last week. Nevertheless, the team has enough depth and quality in their ranks to go a log way in the tournament and Marquez will be hoping to achieve just that.
Lebanon, on the other hand, are heading into the tournament on the back of just one win from their last six outings. The Cedars’ latest success came against Jordan towards the end of last month thanks to Mohamad Haydar’s 23rd-minute equaliser and Nour Mansour’s winner from the penalty spot on the stroke of full-time. But one week later, Lebanon suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia and it was their fifth loss from last ten games. Currently 107th in the world according to FIFA rankings, the Cedars are the lowest ranked side in Group A, also consisting of China and Tajikistan.
Qatar probable starting lineup: Al-Sheeb, Miguel, Khoukhi, Mendes, Ahmed, Hatem, Al Ahraq, Al Haydos, Mohammad, Afif, Ali
Lebanon probable starting lineup: Khalil, Zein, Shour, Sabra, El Zein, Srour, Haidar, Maatouk, Al Haj, Lajud, El-Helwe
Qatar
| Opponents | Score |
| Jordan | 1-2 (L) |
| Cambodia | 3-0 (W) |
| India | 0-3 (W) |
| Afghanistan | 8-1 (W) |
| Iran | 0-4 (L) |
Lebanon
| Opponents | Score |
| Saudi Arabia | 0-1 (L) |
| Jordan | 2-1 (W) |
| Bangladesh | 1-1 (D) |
| Palestine | 0-0 (D) |
| UAE | 2-1 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Qatar beat Lebanon | 2-0 |
| Qatar beat Lebanon | 5-0 |
| Qatar draw Lebanon | 1-1 |
| Qatar beat Lebanon | 1-0 |
| Qatar beat Lebanon | 1-0 |
The AFC Asian Cup fixture between Qatar and Lebanon will take place at Lusail Stadium on Friday at 9:30 pm IST.
| Qatar vs Lebanon | Key Details |
| Date | January 12 |
| Venue | Lusail Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 7:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Lebanon | 6:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 9:30 pm |
The live telecast of the AFC Asian Cup matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through FanCode. Meanwhile, those in Lebanon and Qatar can watch the match on beIN network Alkass One.
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