The 2022 WAFF U-23 Championship was the third 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. A total of six teams competed in the tournament.
| بطولة غرب آسيا لكرة القدم تحت 23 عاما | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| City | Jeddah |
| Dates | 3–15 November |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 confederation) (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Saudi Arabia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Qatar |
| Third place |  Syria |
| Fourth place |  Oman |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Goals scored | 26 (2.36 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Al Faraj Al Kiyumi Nasser Al Rawahi Ahmed Al-Ghamdi Ziyad Al-Johani Mohammed Maran Mohamad Rihanieh (2 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Ahmed Al-Ghamdi[1] |
| Best goalkeeper | Waseem Ayoub[1] |
The tournament was originally going to be held in Iraq from 3 to 18 November 2022,[2] but was relocated to Saudi Arabia due to the 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis.[3] Jordan, the defending champions, did not take part in the tournament. Saudi Arabia won their first title after defeating Qatar 3–1 in the final.[4]
Host selection edit
Originally, it was determined that Iraq would host the tournament, as a preparatory competition ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[5] However, due to the 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis, the hosting rights were lifted based on the recommendation issued in this regard by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee of the WAFF during its two recent meetings that were held in the Jordanian capital Amman. On 23 September 2022, the WAFF announced that Saudi Arabia would host the tournament. [6] Iraq would host the next edition instead.[6]
Teams edit
Nine teams initially confirmed their participation.[7] On 13 October, both Iraq and Yemen withdrew from the competition.[8] On 20 October, it was announced that Kuwait withdrew from the competition, bringing the final number of teams to six.[9]
| Team | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|
 Bahrain |
3rd | Group stage (2015, 2021) |
 Lebanon |
2nd | Group stage (2021) |
| Oman |
3rd | Group stage (2015, 2021) |
| Qatar |
2nd | Third place (2015) |
| Saudi Arabia |
3rd | Runners-up (2021) |
| Syria |
3rd | Runners-up (2015) |
Draw edit
The draw was held on 20 October 2022.[9]
Squads edit
Each team had to register a squad of 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers.
Match officials edit
The following referees and assistant referees were appointed for the tournament.
Venues edit
| Jeddah | Jeddah | Jeddah | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Hall at King Abdullah Sports City | Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium | King Abdullah Sports City | |
| Capacity: 1,000 | Capacity: 27,000 | Capacity: 62,345 | |
|
Group stage edit
Group A edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Oman
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Lebanon
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
| Lebanon | 2–4 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
Sadek  72'Saad 73' |
Report | Al Kiyumi 10' Al Abdulsalam 20'Al Rawahi 40', 61' |
Group B edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia (H)
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Syria
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Bahrain
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
| Bahrain | 2–1 | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulkarim 32' Al-Romaihi 90+3' |
Report | Rihanieh 90+2' |
| Syria | 2–1 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Al Aswad 25' Rihanieh 44' |
Report | Al-Johani 59' |
| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| A. Al-Ghamdi 30' Al-Johani 57' |
Report |
Knockout stage edit
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were to be used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Articles 10.1 and 10.3).
Bracket edit
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 12 November – Jeddah (Al Faisal) | ||||||
| Qatar (p) | 1 (6) | |||||
| 15 November – Jeddah (Al Jawhara) | ||||||
| Syria | 1 (5) | |||||
| Qatar | 1 | |||||
| 12 November – Jeddah (Al Faisal) | ||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | |||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | |||||
| Oman | 1 | |||||
| Third place match | ||||||
| 15 November – Jeddah (Al Jawhara) | ||||||
| Syria | 1 | |||||
| Oman | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals edit
| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
| Maran 35', 53' |
Report | Al Kiyumi 25' |
Fifth place play-off edit
| Lebanon | 0–1 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abdul Qayoom 81' |
Third place play-off edit
Final edit
| Qatar | 1–3 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Taha 49' (pen.) |
Report | A. Al-Ghamdi 9' Al-Nasser 18'Al-Juwayr 67' |
Winners edit
| 2022 WAFF U-23 Championship champion |
|---|
 Saudi Arabia First title |
Awards edit
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
Awards edit
- Player of the Tournament
- Golden Glove
Goalscorers edit
There have been 26 goals scored in 11 matches, for an average of 2.36 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
References edit
- ^ a b ""الأخضر" السعودي يتوج بلقب النسخة الثالثة من بطولة تحت ٢٣ عاماً".
- ^ "بطولتا الناشئين التاسعة وتحت ٢٣ الثالثة في الأردن والعراق" (in Arabic). the-waff.com. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "السعودية تستضيف النسخة الثالثة من بطولة تحت ٢٣ عاماً".
- ^ "الأولمبي السعودي يتوج ببطولة غرب آسيا".
- ^ "New competition dates approved by AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 11 November 2020.
- ^ a b "السعودية تحتضن بطولة غرب آسيا تحت 23 عامًا". كووورة. September 22, 2022.
- ^ "٩ منتخبات تؤكد مشاركتها ببطولة تحت ٢٣ عاماً الثالثة" (in Arabic). WAFF. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "الاتحادان اليمني والعراقي يعتذران عن عدم المشاركة ببطولة تحت ٢٣ عاماً الثالثة".
- ^ a b "سحب قرعة بطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا الثالثة تحت ٢٣ عاماً".