Iran Futsal Never Finished Outside AFC Futsal Asian Cup Top Three
TEHRAN (Tasnim)- Defending champions Japan and record 12-time winner Iran, who have contested eight previous finals, headline a cast that also include Thailand and Uzbekistan – the only other two teams to be involved in every tournament to date.
Iran is the only team to have never finished outside the top three and the powerhouses’ mission to claim a 13th title begins in a Group D opener at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium against debutant Afghanistan, who succeeded in its fifth qualification campaign to become the 36th different side to appear at a Finals, the-afc.com reported.
The first round of matches closes with a showdown between Kuwait, fourth-place finisher in 2003 and 2014, and 2018 Quarter-finalist Bahrain; the fixture marks the 13th and fourth involvements respectively for the duo.
Nine teams – Australia, China, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam – will hope to appear again at the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will take place between September 14 and October 6, 2024 – the first time the global showpiece will be held in Central Asia.
As Uzbekistan has automatically qualified as host, the fifth-place team will be determined via Playoff matches if the Uzbeks progresses to the Semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand 2024.