The 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship was the fifth edition of the WAFF U-23 Championship, the international age-restricted football championship organized by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) for the men's under-23 national teams of West Asia. Eight teams competed in the tournament, with four WAFF teams and four other invitees.[1]
| بطولة غرب آسيا لكرة القدم تحت 23 عاما | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | 20–26 March |
| Teams | 8 (from 2 confederations) (from 4 sub-confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  South Korea (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Australia |
| Third place |  Saudi Arabia |
| Fourth place |  Egypt |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 29 (2.42 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Alou Kuol (3 goals) |
Iraq were the defending champions, but they were eliminated from the tournament at the group stages. South Korea won their first WAFF title, beating Australia 4–3 on penalties after a 2–2 draw.
Teams edit
Eight teams took part in the competition, with four from the WAFF and four other invitees. Iraq participated with its under-19 national team.[2]
| Team | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (invitee) |
1st | Debut |
| Egypt (invitee) |
1st | Debut |
 Iraq |
3rd | Winners (2023) |
 Jordan |
4th | Winners (2021) |
| Saudi Arabia |
4th | Winners (2022) |
| South Korea (invitee) |
1st | Debut |
 Thailand (invitee) |
1st | Debut |
 United Arab Emirates |
4th | Group stage (2015, 2021, 2023) |
Draw edit
The draw for the group stage took place on 3 March 2024 at the WAFF headquarters in Amman, Jordan. Teams from the same group of the upcoming 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup could not be drawn into the same group. Host Saudi Arabia were automatically placed in position A1.[3]
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Squads edit
Match officials edit
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024) |
Venues edit
| Hofuf
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Al-Mubarraz
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|---|---|
| Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium | Al Fateh Stadium |
| Capacity: 19,550 | Capacity: 11,000 |
Group stage edit
Group A edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia (H)
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Jordan
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] |
| Saudi Arabia | 1–1 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
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| Penalties | ||
| 2–1 | ||
Group B edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Thailand
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| South Korea | 1–0 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
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Group C edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Egypt | 1–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
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Group D edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Iraq
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
Classification matches edit
Classification semi-finals edit
| Iraq | 1–1 | United Arab Emirates |
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| Penalties | ||
| 4–3 | ||
| Thailand | 1–3 | Jordan |
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Seventh place play-off edit
Fifth place play-off edit
Knockout stage edit
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 23 March – Hofuf | ||||||
| Australia (p) | 1 (2) | |||||
| 26 March – Al Mubarraz | ||||||
| Egypt | 1 (1) | |||||
| Australia | 2 (3) | |||||
| 23 March – Al Mubarraz | ||||||
| South Korea (p) | 2 (4) | |||||
| South Korea | 1 | |||||
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 26 March – Al Mubarraz | ||||||
| Egypt | 2 (2) | |||||
| Saudi Arabia (p) | 2 (4) | |||||
Semi-finals edit
| South Korea | 1–0 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
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Third place play-off edit
| Egypt | 2–2 | Saudi Arabia |
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| Penalties | ||
| 2–4 | ||
Final edit
| Australia | 2–2 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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| Penalties | ||
| 3–4 | ||
Goalscorers edit
There were 29 goals scored in 12 matches, for an average of 2.42 goals per match.
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
Jake Hollman (against Egypt)
Reziq Bani Hani (against Iraq)
Ranking edit
| Rank | Team | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| 2 | Australia |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 |
| 4 | Egypt |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
| 5 | Jordan |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 |
| 6 | Iraq |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 1 |
| 7 | Thailand |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
References edit
- ^ "The 5th Edition of the under-23 championship will host 4 teams from outside the region". WAFF. 26 February 2024.
- ^ "الشباب بدلا عن الأولمبي في غرب آسيا". Iraq News Agency. 12 February 2024.
- ^ "٨ منتخبات تترقب قرعة بطولة تحت ٢٣ عاماً الخامسة" [Drawing the draw for the fifth Under-23 Championship] (in Arabic). WAFF. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.