Which teams have made it to AFC Asian Cup RO16 for first time in history?

The AFC Asian Cup 2023 knockouts will commence from January 28.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is heading into its final matchday of the group stages and, thanks to 16 of its 24 competing nations qualifying for the knockouts, most nations involved still have plenty to play for heading into their final fixtures. The top two finishers from the six groups all advance automatically to the round of 16, where they will be joined by the four best third-placed finishers.

Should two teams finish level at the end of their group stage campaign, their head-to-head meeting will be used as the first tie-breaker, followed by goal difference, goals scored, fair play points and, finally, drawing of lots.

Few of the teams qualified for the first time to the knockout stages of the AFC Asian Cup. In this article, we’ll take a look at those teams!

Tajikistan National Team

Debutants Tajikistan produced a stirring comeback to prolong their journey at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, defeating Lebanon 2-1 on Monday to finish second in Group A. The result moved Tajikistan up to second place on four points, behind group toppers Qatar who defeated China 1-0 in the other game. They created history by qualifying for the Round of 16 and they also impressed many people with the quality of football which they played on the pitch.

Palestine National Team

Palestine’s captain said his team had fulfilled “a promise to the Palestinian people” after reaching the AFC Asian Cup knockout rounds for the first time on Tuesday. The 3-0 victory over Hong Kong was also their first win in the history of the competition and enough to squeeze into the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams. Palestine’s victory came against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Syria National Team

Syria‘s late 1-0 win over India ensured that the Qasioun Eagles will progress to the knockout stages as one of the four best third-placed finishers. Syria’s players hoisted Omar Khrbin into the air in celebration after the final whistle, recognizing the significance of the moment. Syria’s footballers are dreaming of making more history and for their players, this is also a chance to uplift their careers.

For a side that has seemingly not played a home game in over a decade due to an ongoing conflict in the country, the emotion of the moment was tangible. In the post-game interaction with head coach Hector Cuper, both the translator and the media person burst into tears.

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