Thailand meets Uzbekistan in the third qualifying round of the 2023 Asian Cup

 Thailand meets Uzbekistan in the third qualifying round of the 2023 Asian Cup

On the afternoon of February 24, the results of the draw for the third qualifying round of the 2023 Asian Cup determined that Thailand was in Group C with Uzbekistan, Maldives and Srilanka.

The third qualifying round of the 2023 Asian Cup has 24 teams, divided into 6 groups to choose 11 teams to advance to the final round (final round) with host China. Seven Southeast Asian teams, namely Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Cambodia, will compete for the Asian Cup from this round. Previously, the Vietnamese team and the 11 strongest Asian teams won tickets directly to the finals thanks to their participation in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup.

The draw results on the afternoon of February 24 have determined the groups of Southeast Asian teams. Thailand is in Group C with Uzbekistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Indonesia is in Group A, the Philippines is in Group B, Cambodia is in Group C, Malaysia is in Group E, and Singapore and Myanmar are in Group F.

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Groups in the final qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2023.

Compared to the rest of Southeast Asia's teams, the Thai team's opportunity to continue is clearer. In Group C, the Uzbekistan team is rated the highest if based on the ranking on the FIFA rankings (85) and is considered a candidate for the top of the group.

The Thai team can compete for a place in the final round as one of the five best runners-up, because the other two opponents, Srilanka and Maldives, are considered weaker.

The 2023 Asian Cup finals will take place from June 16 to July 16, 2023, in 10 cities in China. At the last Asian Cup in 2019, the Thai team stopped in the 1/8 round, while Vietnam entered the quarterfinals and lost to the defending runner-up Japan.