AFC Asian Cup Betting Tips 2024

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is the 18th edition of the tournament. Organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Asia’s quadrennial international men’s soccer championship involves 24 national teams, with Qatar as the defending champion (check Asia bookmakers to know what are the best betting options).

The AFC Asian Cup tournament was initially scheduled to occur in China between 16h June and 16th July 2023. 

But on 14th May 2022, the Asian Football Confederation announced that China wouldn’t host the competition due to COVID-19 pandemic circumstances and the country’s Zero-COVID policy.

In October 2022, the Asian Football Federation announced that the competition would occur in Qatar, making it the first country to host three AFC Asian Cup tournaments after 2011 and 1988.

Since 1956, 47 national teams have been competing for the 16 slots until 2019, when AFC expanded the tournament to accommodate 24 teams. The qualifying process doubles as part of the FIFA World Cup. That means Asian teams are more serious when playing qualification games, providing punters more opportunities when betting on Asia Cup.

Increasing teams from 16 to 24 means that bettors have many games and events to place bets on while they enjoy numerous lucrative bonuses and promotions that top AFC Asian Cup betting sites offer. If you’re looking for expert AFC Asian Cup betting tips to help you increase your bankroll, look no further than this page. 

Aside from Asia Cup betting tips, you’ll also find the tournament structure and dates, profitable betting markets, and winner prediction. To discover more, read on. Also, read about best football betting sites.

The AFC Asian Cup structure includes two main stages, which include qualification and the final tournament. The qualification structure includes the first round (12 teams ranked 35 to 46), second round (40 teams), play-off round (to determine third-round qualifiers) and third round (24 teams divided into six groups of four).

The final AFC Asian Cup tournament takes place in two stages, including group and knockout. Since 2019 when the tournament was expanded, each national men’s team plays three matches in a group of four.

The runners-up and winners from each group progress to the knockout stage, together with the best third-placed teams from the qualification stage.

In the AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, the 16 teams play in a simple elimination competition, from the round of 16 to the tournament’s final game. The tournament doesn’t have a third-place match to determine the third-best team in Asia.

On 17th October 2022, the AFC announced that Qatar would host the Asian Cup tournament, which was initially scheduled to take place in China. And due to the high temperatures in Qatar and the country’s participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2023, the competition was postponed to occur between 12th January and 10th February 2024.

Despite Europe being popular in terms of football, Asian teams have started to show what they can offer. Take the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament as an example, where the Asian Football Confederation presented six members. Three of these members, including Japan, Australia and South Korea, managed to make it beyond the group stage.

It’s true that this marks a huge and clear improvement in Asian football teams over the past World Cup tournaments. In 2014, no Asian team reached the round of 16 and in 2018, only Japan advanced to the knockout stage. Japan’s 2022 FIFA World Cup competition performance proved that Asian teams are improving in terms of tactics and playing style.

Japan managed to top a group that included football powerhouses such as Spain and Germany. Other surprises were Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina, one of the stunning comebacks, and South Korea’s triumph against Portugal.

Despite these heroic exploits, Australia, South Korea, and Japan all crashed out of the competition in the knockout stage.

That means only South Korea managed to reach the semis in 2002. As such, it’s hard to point to any massive shift in team tactics and playing style in the power balance of European and Asian football.

European teams are more tactical as they feature technically gifted players and managers. They adopt different playing styles that allow them to change their approach to different games, one main feature that makes them successful.

Another important factor to remember is that European countries have some of the leading football clubs that help them nurture their players.

As a result, many top Asian players play for European clubs. For instance, Japan is the most successful Asian team since its players offer much-needed tactical flexibility that most European national teams enjoy.

European teams also have excellent fitness management approaches, allowing them to enjoy compact, mobile and systematic approaches that make them perform better. They also have strong defensive, midfield and attacking qualities than most Asian teams.

If Asian teams want to triumph against European teams, they must learn from their past mistakes and improve their games.

The 2023 AFC Cup qualifiers were concluded, and all the 24 teams to compete in the tournament are already listed.

Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Australia, Iraq, China, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Lebanon, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Hong Kong will participate in the 2023 AFC Cup tournament.

To research and compare Asian football teams, you need to take into consideration the history of the AFC Asian Cup, the World Cup performance and the current form.

Japan is the most successful national team, having won the tournament four times in 2011, 2004, 2000 and 1992. Saudi Arabia and Iran have won three times each. Saudi Arabia won in 1976, 1972 and 1968, while Iran lifted the trophy in 1976, 1972 and 1968.

South Korea won the title twice, in 1960 and 1956, while Qatar, Iraq, Australia, Kuwait and Israel have lifted it once each. Qatar will play the 2023 AFC Asian Cup as a defending champion, as it won it in 2019.

Japan, South Korea and Australia were on top of their game, beating some of the leading football teams in Europe in the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament. As a result, bookies have considered that when offering Asian Cup odds as they believe these teams can compete at the top levels of the tournament. 

Another factor to look out for when comparing Asian teams is their most recent game performances, especially in the qualifiers. Keep an eye on teams that have the best performance record, especially if you want to place a bet on the outright winner.

The AFC Asian Cup isn’t only known for its competitiveness but also due to the massive range of games and betting markets it offers. While numerous markets are available to pick from, punters who place bets on Asian football competitions love a few profitable markets, which include:

• Asian Handicap: This bet involves one side of a football game having a predetermined advantage. AFC Asian Cup bookies offer the Asian handicap market to eliminate draws and level the playing field. Your selection must overcome the handicap to convert a profit.
• Outrights: An outrights bet includes predicting a team that’ll win the AFC Asian Cup tournament or a given game. For instance, you can pick Japan to win the 2023 AFC Asian Cup title. You’ll only win if your prediction is correct.
• Acca Betting: Also known as accumulator betting, Acca betting involves multiple wagering selections compiled into one bet. All your predictions must be correct to win the wager. AFC Asian Cup bettors love this market since it offers significant Asia Cup betting odds and higher returns.

The AFC Asian Cup is the second oldest continental soccer tournament worldwide after Copa America. It features some of the best teams in Asia and the world, including Japan and South Korea.

With 24 teams, the tournament is set to provide fans and bettors with some huge football moments. Punters will benefit from many events, markets, bookie bonuses, and promotions.

The expert AFC Asian Cup winner prediction is Japan. Despite Qatar being the defending champion, Japan has proven to be an unstoppable team in Asia. It pulled some surprises in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, beating Germany and Spain to top the group.

That performance, plus its excellent recent form, only means that Japan will lift the 2023 AFC Asian Cup title. We hope that you enjoyed the AFC Asian Cup Betting tips!