2023 CAFA Nations Cup

Last updated
2023 CAFA Nations Cup
2023 CAFA Nations Cup.png
Tournament details
Host countriesKyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Dates10 – 20 June
Teams7 (from 2 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)3 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsFlag of Iran.svg  Iran (1st title)
Runners-upFlag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
Third placeFlag of Oman.svg  Oman
Fourth placeFlag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan
Tournament statistics
Matches played11
Goals scored33 (3 per match)
Attendance89,776 (8,161 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Iran.svg Mehdi Taremi
(6 goals)
Best player(s) Flag of Iran.svg Mehdi Taremi
Best goalkeeper Flag of Oman.svg Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini
Fair play awardFlag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
2025

The 2023 CAFA Nations Cup was the first edition of the CAFA Nations Cup, the biennial international men's football championship of Central Asia organized by the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). The event was held in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan from June 10 to 20. [1]

Contents

Background

The inaugural edition of the senior men's tournament was initially planned to be hosted by Tashkent in October 2018. [2] [3] [4] [5] It was not played out though.

In March 2023, it was announced the inaugural edition of the senior men's tournament would commence in June 2023 in Tashkent and Bishkek for the six member associations, along with the addition of two invited guest teams: Russia and an unconfirmed Asian team. [6] [7] [8] However, the start of the inaugural edition of the tournament was put in doubt again after it was reported in early April 2023 that Iran, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Iraq would instead take part in a four-nation tournament in June 2023. [9]

On 15 April, it was reported that Russia was set to shun the inaugural CAFA Championship, while organizers insisted they were still in talks with them over their participation. [10] On 18 April, it was reported that Iran would take part in the inaugural CAFA Championship along with the member associations of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, as well as invited guests Russia and one other Asian country, with the tournament being hosted in Tashkent and Bishkek in June. [11] On 19 April, it was reported that Russia had withdrawn from the tournament. [12] [13] On 24 April, Oman was reported to be an invited guest team after Thailand reportedly turned down an invitation. [14] [15] [16]

Participating nations

CountryAppearance FIFA ranking
6 April 2023
Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan 1st155
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 1st20
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan (co-hosts)1st96
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman (invitee)1st73
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 1st109
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan 1st137
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan (co-hosts)1st74

Seeding

The following 7 teams were divided based on their FIFA Ranking of April 2023. [14]

Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
  • Flag of Oman.svg  Oman (73) (invitee)

Draw results

The draw was held in Dushanbe on 26 April 2023 at 14:00 Time in Tajikistan (UTC+5). The draw resulted in the following groups:

Group A
PosTeam
A1Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan
A2Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
A3Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
A4Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
Group B
PosTeam
B1Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan
B2Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
B3Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan

Venues

Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek
Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
Capacity: 23,000
Flag of None.svg
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan
Tashkent
Pakhtakor Central Stadium Milliy Stadium
Capacity: 35,000Capacity: 34,000
Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium.jpg Bunyodkor stadium.jpg

Squads

Each nation needed to submit a squad of 26 players, including 3 goalkeepers.

Officials

Sponsors

Flag of Cyprus.svg 1xBet [17]

Broadcasting rights

The following channels have been given broadcasting rights to broadcast the tournament.

TerritoryRights holder(s)
Uzbekistan UzNTRC Sport
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz Sport TV
Tajikistan TV Futbol
Iran IRIB TV3

Group stage

All times are local, Uzbekistan Time (UTC+5) & Kyrgyzstan Time (UTC+6).

Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings. [18]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams were tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan (H)3300101+99Advance to final
2Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 31113414Advance to third place match
3Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 30213742
4Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan 30121541
Source: Soccerway
(H) Hosts
Tajikistan  Flag of Tajikistan.svg1–1Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
Report
Pakhtakor Central Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 97
Referee: Hassan Akrami (Iran)
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg3–0Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
Report
Milliy Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 12,912
Referee: Dayirbek Abdilaev (Kyrgyzstan)

Oman  Flag of Oman.svg1–1Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Al-Yahyaei Soccerball shade.svg14' (pen.) Report Khanonov Soccerball shade.svg45'
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg2–0Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan
Report
Milliy Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 14,410
Referee: Nurzatbek Abdikadirov (Kyrgyzstan)

Turkmenistan  Flag of Turkmenistan.svg0–2Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
Report
Pakhtakor Central Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 126
Referee: Dayirbek Abdilaev (Kyrgyzstan)
Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg5–1Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Report
Milliy Stadium, Tashkent
Attendance: 9,099
Referee: Hassan Akrami (Iran)

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 2200112+96Advance to final
2Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan (H)21014513Advance to third place match
3Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan 20021980
Source: Soccerway
(H) Hosts
Kyrgyzstan  Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svgAwarded
3–0
Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan
Batyrkanov Soccerball shade.svg90+7' Report
Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
Attendance: 8,876
Referee: Charymurad Kurbanov (Turkmenistan)

The match was abandoned in the 97th minute with Kyrgyzstan leading 1–0 after Afghanistan walked off and refused to continue. The match was awarded 3–0 to Kyrgyzstan. [19]


Iran  Flag of Iran.svg6–1Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan
Report
Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
Attendance: 33
Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)

Kyrgyzstan  Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg1–5Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report
Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
Attendance: 9,927
Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan)

Knockout round

Third place match

Kyrgyzstan  Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg0–1Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
Report
Pakhtakor Central Stadium , Tashkent
Attendance: 186
Referee: Akhrol Riskullaev (Uzbekistan)

Final

Uzbekistan  Flag of Uzbekistan.svg01Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Report
Milliy Stadium , Tashkent
Attendance: 34,000
Referee: Kirill Levnikov (Russia)

Goalscorers

There were 33 goals scored in 11 matches, for an average of 3 goals per match.

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Awards

Mehdi Taremi finished the tournament as top scorer and was named best player. China-Iran 2019 AFC Asian Cup by Mehdi Zare 11.jpg
Mehdi Taremi finished the tournament as top scorer and was named best player.

The following awards were presented at the end of the tournament: [20]

Best Player
Top Goalscorer
Best Goalkeeper
Fair Play Award

See also

References

  1. "Iran Likely to Meet Russia in 2023 CAFA Championship". Archived from the original on 2023-03-19. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  2. "اتحادیه فوتبال آسیای مرکزی ایجاد شد" (in Persian). BBC. 22 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  3. "'Central Zone' gets thumbs up from Tajikistan". The AFC. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  4. "AFC adds a fifth zone as Extraordinary Congress approves amendments to AFC Statutes". The AFC. 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  5. "Central Asians meet Sheikh Salman to create CAFA". aff.org.af. 17 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  6. "Russia invited to play in Central Asian soccer tournament". Reuters. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  7. "Iran to participate in first senior men's CAFA tournament in June 2023 – PersianFootball.com". Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  8. Lowe, Martin [@Martin_Lowe_] (13 March 2023). "Bishkek 🇰🇬 & Tashkent 🇺🇿 will host the group stage; 2 x four teams, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan + two guests. The two invited guests are Russia & Thailand, yet China is also interested. Tashkent will host the final & third place playoff" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023 via Twitter.
  9. "Iran to participate in four-nation football tournament [Report] – PersianFootball.com". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. "Doubts over Russia participation as CAFA Championship set to reveal line-up". 15 April 2023. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Russia Withdraws from 2023 CAFA - Sports news - Tasnim News Agency | Tasnim News Agency". Archived from the original on 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  13. Lowe, Martin [@Martin_Lowe_] (19 April 2023). "Russia confirm they will not participate in this year's upcoming CAFA Championship. "The decision was due to the timing of the tournament, coinciding with domestic competitions, including the final of the Russian Football Cup." - RFU spokesman https://t.co/XN6GUR4TFS" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 April 2023 via Twitter.
  14. 1 2 Lowe, Martin [@Martin_Lowe_] (24 April 2023). "June's CAFA Nations Cup 2023, will be drawn on Wednesday. Pot 1 - Iran & Uzbekistan (Group A host) Pot 2 - Kyrgyzstan (Group B host) & Tajikistan Pot 3 - Turkmenistan & Afghanistan Pot 4 - Oman Hopes of an 8th team were dashed after Russia declined the invitation" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 April 2023 via Twitter.
  15. Lowe, Martin [@Martin_Lowe_] (28 March 2023). "Thailand have turned down their invitation to join June's CAFA Championship. Oman now look in pole position to complete the tournament's line-up. Participation deadline is 31 March" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 April 2023 via Twitter.
  16. "Central Asian Football Association on Instagram: "It's our great pleasure to announce about upcoming first ever CAFA Senior Championship in history of Central Asian Football Association 🤩 CAFA Nations Cup 2023⚽️ Participating teams: 🇦🇫 Afghanistan 🇮🇷 I.R. Iran 🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Republic 🇹🇯 Tajikistan 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan 🇺🇿Uzbekistan 🇴🇲Oman Draw Ceremony for the competition will be held as follows : 📆 Wednesday, 26 April 2023 ⏰14:00 (Dushanbe local time,GMT+5) 📺 CAFA YouTube Channel Teams drawn in group B will play their matches on 10,13 and 16 of June, while group a matches will be played on 11, 14, and 17 June accordingly. Final match and match for the third place will be played on 20th of June in capital city of 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan. We will keep update you with further information 🔜 #CafaNationsCup"". Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  17. "1XBET betting company is the general sponsor of the upcoming CAFA NATIONS CUP 2023 tournament". Central Asian Football Association. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  18. "Competition Regulations CAFA Nations Cup 2023" (PDF). CAFA. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  19. "Decisions of the CAFA Executive Committee". CAFA. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  20. "Winner of the historic CAFA Nations Cup 2023 is I.R. Iran national team". CAFA. Retrieved 5 September 2023.