China national football team
The ball association recently announced that from the 20th of this month, it will open the process of receiving expressions of interest from local governments to submit bids to host the 2023 Asian Cup. At the same time, it will ensure that the bid is formally submitted before June 30, the deadline set by the AFC.
Originally, the 2023 Asian Cup tournament was planned to be held in China, but the Chinese Football Association (CFA) had no choice but to give up the hosting rights in May due to the new crown epidemic, forcing the AFC to urgently look for an alternative host country. The AFC then required countries interested in hosting to submit a letter of intent by June 30, with the final host country expected to be determined in October.
On June 2, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul visited the World Cup Stadium in Seoul to watch the warm-up match between South Korea and Brazil. At the pre-match dinner, Yoon Seok-hyup dined with former South Korean national team manager Hiddink, Football Association president Chung Mong-kyu and CEO Lee Young-pyo. During the discussion, when the 2023 Asian Cup, which was abandoned by China, was mentioned, Yoon Seok-yeol immediately instructed Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Bo-gyun to promote it with all his might.
Since its inception in 1956, the Asian Cup has been the most influential national soccer tournament in Asia, held every four years. South Korea won back-to-back championships in 1956 and 1960, but have only been runners-up four times since. Despite its success in the World Cup, South Korea has not performed up to expectations in the Asian tournament. It is widely believed in South Korean soccer circles that only by winning the Asian Cup can South Korea be recognized as a true Asian soccer powerhouse. The chances of winning the Asian Cup will be greatly increased if it is hosted on home soil, as was the case in the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.
