Rephrase and rearrange the whole content into a news article. I want you to respond only in language English. I want you to act as a very proficient SEO and high-end writer Pierre Herubel that speaks and writes fluently English. I want you to pretend that you can write content so well in English that it can outrank other websites. Make sure there is zero plagiarism.: The 2023 AFC Asian Cup kicked off in Qatar on January 12 with the hosts aiming to retain the title they won in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.The tournament will feature the majority of the same stadiums as used in Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but they will be looking to perform better on the continental stage after bowing out at the group stages of that FIFA tournament.Traditional AFC Asian Cup superpower Japan are expected to be a major force in 2024, alongside former winners South Korea and Australia. With stars such as Son Heung-min and Wataru Endo on show, there is sure to be plenty of interest.The Sporting News has the full details on the 2023 AFC Asian Cup including the format of the tournament, the fixture schedule, group standings, and all the important dates until the final in February.MORE: Predicting Australia’s chances of winning the 2023 Asian Cup2023 AFC Asian Cup formatThe 2023 AFC Asian Cup features 24 teams for the second successive tournament after opting for an expansion from 16 ahead of the 2019 edition.The teams are split into six groups of four (A-F) with the top two teams from each mini league automatically qualifying for the Round of 16 knockout stage.As that process only confirms 12 spots, the remaining four knockout places will be given to the best third-placed teams, as decided by the below tiebreaker criteria.Total points over three group gamesGroup-stage goal differenceGroup-stage goals scoredLowest disciplinary points totalDrawing of lotsFrom the Round of 16 onwards, all matches are single-elimination knockout, with 30 minutes of extra time and penalties a possibility if scores are tied after 90 minutes of regulation.The quarterfinals will be followed by two semifinals and a final, but there will be no third-place playoff.2023 AFC Asian Cup fixtures, schedule, results, standingsThe group stages were confirmed in May 2023 with hosts Qatar already pre-selected in Group A. The path through the knockout stages to the final is already confirmed and detailed below.Results and table will be updated after each matchday from January 12.Group A Team GP Win Draw Loss GD Points Qatar 3 3 0 0 +5 9 Tajikistan 3 1 1 1 0 4 China 3 0 2 1 -1 2 Lebanon 3 0 1 2 -4 1 Date Match Jan. 12 Qatar 3-0 Lebanon Jan. 13 China 0-0 Tajikistan Jan. 17 Lebanon 0-0 China Jan. 17 Tajikistan 0-1 Qatar Jan. 22 Qatar 1-0 China Jan. 22 Tajikistan 2-1 LebanonGroup B Team GP Win Draw Loss GD Points Australia 3 2 1 0 +3 7 Uzbekistan 3 1 2 0 +3 5 Syria 3 1 1 1 0 4 India 3 0 0 3 -6 0 Date Match Jan. 13 Australia 2-0 India Jan. 13 Uzbekistan 0-0 Syria Jan. 18 Syria 0-1 Australia Jan. 18 India 0-3 Uzbekistan Jan. 23 Australia 1-1 Uzbekistan Jan. 23 Syria 1-0 IndiaGroup C Team GP Win Draw Loss GD Points Iran 3 3 0 0 +5 9 UAE 3 1 1 1 +1 4 Palestine 3 1 1 1 0 4 Hong Kong 3 0 0 3 -6 0 Date Match Jan. 14 UAE 3-1 Hong Kong Jan. 14 Iran 4-1 Palestine Jan. 18 Palestine 1-1 UAE Jan. 19 Hong Kong 0-1 Iran Jan. 23 Iran 2-1 UAE Jan. 23 Hong Kong 0-3 PalestineGroup D Team GP Win Draw Loss GD Points Iraq 3 3 0 0 +4 9 Japan 3 2 0 1 +3 6 Indonesia 3 1 0 2 -3 3 Vietnam 3 0 0 3 -4 0 Date Match Jan.14 Japan 4-2 Vietnam Jan. 15 Indonesia 1-3 Iraq Jan. 19 Iraq 2-1 Japan Jan. 19 Vietnam 0-1 Indonesia Jan. 24 Japan 3-1 Indonesia Jan 24 Iraq 3-2 VietnamGroup E Team GP Win Draw Loss GD Points Bahrain 3 2 0 1 +4 6 South Korea 3 1 2 0 +2 5 Jordan 3 1 1 1 +3 4 Malaysia 3 0 1 2 -5 0 Date Match Jan 15 South Korea 3-1 Bahrain Jan 15 Malaysia 0-4 Jordan Jan 20 Jordan 2-2 South Korea Jan 20 Bahrain 1-0 Malaysia Jan 25 South Korea 3-3 Malaysia Jan 25 Jordan 0-1 BahrainGroup F Team GP Win Draw Loss GD Points Saudi Arabia 3 2 1 0 +3 7 Thailand 3 1 2 0 +2 5 Oman 3 0 2 1 -1 2 Kyrgyzstan 3 0 1 2 -4 1 Date Match Jan 16 Thailand 2-0 Kyrgyzstan Jan 16 Saudi Arabia 2-1 Oman Jan 21 Oman 0-0 Thailand Jan 21 Kyrgyzstan 0-2 Saudi Arabia Jan 25 Saudi Arabia 0-0 Thailand Jan 25 Kyrgyzstan 1-1 OmanMORE: Everything you need to know about the Asian Cup2023 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage scheduleRound of 16 Match No. Date Fixture 37 Jan. 28 Australia 4-0 Indonesia 38 Jan. 28 Tajikistan 1(3)-1(5) UAE 39 Jan. 29 Iraq 2-3 Jordan 40 Jan. 29 Qatar 2-1 Palestine 41 Jan. 30 Uzbekistan 2-1 Thailand 42 Jan. 30 Saudi Arabia 1(2)-1(4) South Korea 43 Jan. 31 Bahrain 1-3 Japan 44 Jan. 31 Iran 1(5)-1(3) SyriaQuarterfinal Match No. Date Fixture QF. 1 Feb. 2 Tajikistan 0-1 Jordan QF. 2 Feb. 2 Australia 1-2 South Korea (aet) QF. 3 Feb. 3 Iran vs. Japan QF. 4 Feb. 3 Qatar vs. UzbekistanSemifinal Date Fixture Feb 6. Jordan vs. South Korea Feb 7. Winner of QF 3 vs. Winner of QF 4Final Date Fixture Feb 10. Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2
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