Iran is the only team to have never finished outside the top three and the powerhouses’ mission to claim a 13th title begins in a Group D opener at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium against debutant Afghanistan, who succeeded in its fifth qualification campaign to become the 36th different side to appear at a Finals, the-afc.com reported.
The first round of matches closes with a showdown between Kuwait, fourth-place finisher in 2003 and 2014, and 2018 Quarter-finalist Bahrain; the fixture marks the 13th and fourth involvements respectively for the duo.
Nine teams – Australia, China, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam – will hope to appear again at the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will take place between September 14 and October 6, 2024 – the first time the global showpiece will be held in Central Asia.
As Uzbekistan has automatically qualified as host, the fifth-place team will be determined via Playoff matches if the Uzbeks progresses to the Semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand 2024.