2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
The 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup was the 5th edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup (prior to 2021 known as the AFC U-23 Championship), a biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. The players had to be born on or after 1 January 1999.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Uzbekistan |
| Dates | 1–19 June |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Saudi Arabia (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Uzbekistan |
| Third place | Japan |
| Fourth place | Australia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 81 (2.53 per match) |
| Attendance | 154,134 (4,817 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Yuito Suzuki Ayman Yahya Cho Young-wook Suphanat Mueanta Jasurbek Jaloliddinov (3 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Ayman Yahya |
| Best goalkeeper | Nawaf Al-Aqidi |
| Fair play award | Saudi Arabia |
The tournament was originally going to be held in Uzbekistan from 6–24 January 2022, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and rescheduled to 1–19 June 2022. A total of 16 teams competed in the tournament.
South Korea were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Japan in the quarter-finals, failing to finish among the top 4 for the first time. Saudi Arabia became the fifth different country to win the tournament, beating hosts Uzbekistan in the final.