2016 AFC U-23 Championship
The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2016 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the second edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. The tournament was held in Qatar between 12–30 January 2016. A total of 16 teams compete in the tournament. The tournament was also renamed from the "AFC U-22 Championship" to the "AFC U-23 Championship".
| بطولة آسيا تحت 23 سنة لكرة القدم 2016 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Qatar |
| Dates | 12–30 January |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Japan (1st title) |
| Runners-up | South Korea |
| Third place | Iraq |
| Fourth place | Qatar |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 103 (3.22 per match) |
| Attendance | 93,639 (2,926 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Ahmed Alaa (6 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Shoya Nakajima |
| Fair play award | Japan |
For the first time, the AFC U-23 Championship acted as the AFC qualifiers for the Olympic football tournament, replacing the previous process of home-and-away Olympic qualifiers. The top three teams of the tournament qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Brazil as the AFC representatives.
Japan won the tournament with a 3–2 final win over South Korea. Both finalists and third-placed Iraq qualified for the Olympics.