AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Looking back at all the past winners

The competition has five different winners winning five different editions.

India will be fighting for a place at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2024, which will be held in Qatar. The Blue Colts are managed by Igor Stimac and have been placed in a relatively difficult group alongside UAE, Maldives and China PR.

India U-23 have never qualified for the final rounds of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in its short-lived history. The competition was only founded in 2012 as the AFC U-22 Championship, with Oman hosting the first-ever edition the very same year. The second one took place three years later, before the competition started taking place every two years.

So far, there have been five editions of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. No team has won the competition twice and every edition has seen a new champion crowned over the course of the last decade. With that being said, let’s look back at all the winners of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in its 10-year history.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2013: Iraq

Oman got the chance to host the first-ever edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which was still recognized as the AFC U-22 Championship back in 2013. 16 of Asia’s best teams were able to qualify for the competition, but Iraq made history by becoming the first-ever winner of this. They had a perfect group stage, winning all three of their games against Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and China PR. But it was in the quarter-finals where Iraq made a real statement of intent, when they defeated Japan 1-0 with winger Amjad Kalaf getting his name on the scoresheet.

They went onto defeat South Korea in the semi-finals by the same margin, with defender Mustafa Nadhim scoring the winner. Iraq faced a daunting Saudi Arabia side in a rematch of their group stage outing in the final, but were given a real run for their money in this one. However, they prevailed with another 1-0 win as striker Mohammed Abdul-Raheem scored the winner to help his side lift the first-ever AFC U-22 Championship.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2016: Japan

Three years after the successful first edition, the AFC U-23 Asian Cup was rebranded as such from the AFC U-22 Championship. Qatar got the chance to host the competition in 2016, with Japan reigning supreme as champions. The Japanese side dominated their group, winning all three games and only conceding one goal. They were taken to the limit by Iran in the quarter-finals, but reigned supreme with a 3-0 win thanks to three goals in extra-time. Japan faced defending champions Iraq in the semi-finals and were given a much tougher fight.

However, goals from Yuya Kubo and a 93rd minute winner from midfielder Riki Harakawa helped them grind through a 2-1 win to set up a clash against South Korea in the final. They played out an absolute thriller in the final against a competitive South Korean side, who actually took a two-goal lead by the 50th minute. However, an inspired brace by ex-Arsenal forward Takuma Asano and a goal from midfielder Shinya Yajima helped  Japan produce a stunning comeback and win the AFC U-23 Asian Cup – with this final being the biggest goal fest in the competition’s finals' history so far.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2018: Uzbekistan

The third edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup saw Uzbekistan produce a brilliant story to bag their first such continental title. They actually faced a tricky group stage and only finished second to Qatar in it, heading into the quarter-finals as the runners-up. But Uzbekistan might’ve been keeping their best reserved for the knockout stages, as they proved by producing a shocking 4-0 win over defending champions Japan in the quarter-finals to storm into the semis.

They proved that the victory over Japan was no fluke, swatting away South Korea with a 4-1 win to make their way into the final – where they faced a gritty Vietnam side. The game itself was a tough one as both teams cancelled each other out with a 1-1 draw heading into extra-time. Just as it seemed like the game would go to penalties, Uzbekistan midfielder Andrey Sidorov scored a stunning winner in the 120th minute - breaking the Vietnamese hearts and helping Uzbekistan clinch the title.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2020: South Korea

The fourth edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup was held in Thailand in January 2020, just before the Covid-19 Pandemic struck. South Korea won their first-ever U-23 Asian Cup title in that edition, putting an end to years of frustration in the competition. They had a flawless group stage, winning all their three games to romp their way to the quarter-finals. South Korea faced a tough Jordan side in the quarters and really had to fight their way to get a 2-1 win, thanks to a 95th minute winner from midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong.

They attained a lot of momentum from that and went onto earn a compelling 2-0 win over Australia in the semi-final, with Dong-gyeong scoring the second in that one too!

South Korea went off against the formidable Saudi Arabia side in the final and both teams were extremely close in terms of overall quality. After a goalless normal time, extra-time was forced and South Korea found their clinical nature in that. Their defender Jeong Tae-wook scored in the 113th minute and the Saudi side had no answer to that, as Korea went onto lift their first AFC U-23 Asian Cup title.

AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2022: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia had the worst luck in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, having lost twice in the final previously before the 2022 edition. However, they ensured that the third luck was the charm for them by clinching the title last year in Uzbekistan. Saudi Arabia had a pretty solid group stage, winning the group over Japan and booking a game against Vietnam in the quarter-finals. They managed to get a comfortable 2-0 win over Vietnam to move onto the semis, where a clash against a challenging Australian side lay await.

However, Saudi Arabia showed no sign of weariness and managed to get another impressive 2-0 win to schedule a spot in the final against hosts Uzbekistan. They ensured that another loss in the final would not be in their fate – producing a brilliant second-half display to win the match 2-0 to break the hearts of the home fans and clinch their first-ever AFC U-23 Asian Cup title – which they will look to defend if able to qualify for the 2024 edition.