Japan lands defending champion Qatar in a tough 2027 Asian Cup group draw

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Four-time winner Japan was grouped with defending champion Qatar at the 2027 Asian Cup in the draw on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia will host the 24-team tournament for the first time from Jan. 7-Feb. 5.

The Asian Football Confederation will be hoping the competition will be held without any further complications.

The draw was originally set for April 11 but was postponed because of the conflict in the Middle East. The final field is still incomplete because the Lebanon-Yemen match was not played as scheduled on March 31 and has been postponed to June.

As well as Qatar, the champion in 2019 and 2023, Japan will take on Indonesia and Thailand in Group F.

“Japan is one of the leaders in Asian football, always,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui said. “They have quality players and we have to believe in ourselves.”

Saudi Arabia, which will also stage the 2034 World Cup, will face Kuwait, Oman and the Palestinian team in an all-West Asia group as it seeks to win the title for the first time since 1996.

“When we reach the Asian Cup in our country, we will be ready to reach the final and to win the title,” said Saudi Arabia coach Giorgios Donis, who was appointed in April to replace Herve Renard.

Uzbekistan and Jordan are preparing for their first World Cup appearances in June, and were drawn in Asian Cup Group B along with North Korea and Bahrain.

Iran will face Syria and China.

In Group D, Australia was drawn with another former champion in Iraq, led by former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, as well as Tajikistan and Singapore, which has qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1984.

South Korea has not won the tournament since 1960 and will meet the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and the winner of the Lebanon-Yemen match.

The top two from each of the six groups of four will progress to the round of 16 along with the four best third-placed teams.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer