# 2016 AFC U-23 Championship
The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship was the second edition of the Asian Football Confederation's biennial under-23 men's national team football tournament, held in Doha, Qatar, from January 12 to January 30, 2016. Japan won the title by beating Korea Republic 3-2 in the final, and Japan, Korea Republic, and third-placed Iraq qualified for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016.[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition and host | Second edition of the competition, hosted by Qatar in Doha; the AFC Competitions Committee awarded hosting rights over bids from Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran[2](https://www.the-afc.com/en/about_afc/committees/news/afc_competitions_committee_meeting.html) |
| Dates and venues | January 12 to January 30, 2016; 32 matches at four stadiums in Doha[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html) • [3](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u23_2016/afc_u23_championship_2016/schedule_result/) |
| Olympic role | First time the event served as the Olympic qualifier; the champions, runners-up, and third-placed team went to Rio 2016[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html) |
| Champion | Japan, beating Korea Republic 3-2 in the final with two goals from substitute Takuma Asano[5](https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/on_this_day_japans_u23_triumph_in_doha.html) |
| Third place | Iraq, beating hosts Qatar 2-1 in extra time in the play-off[6](https://inside.fifa.com/news/iraq-clinch-asia-s-final-rio-spot-2757413) |
| Tournament totals | 16 teams, 103 goals, total attendance 93,639, average 2,926 per match[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html) |
## Background and qualification
The competition was launched as the AFC U-22 Championship and renamed the AFC U-23 Championship; the inaugural event, the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship, took place in Oman in January 2014 after the original tournament was postponed, and Iraq won it.[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html) The 2016 edition was the first time the event was used to qualify teams for the Olympic Games.[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html)
A total of 44 AFC member associations entered the qualifying competition. Excluding hosts Qatar, who received a direct bye, 43 teams competed in 10 groups on official match days in March 2015, with the group winners and the five best second-placed teams advancing to the finals.[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html) The qualifying groups were drawn on a zonal basis, West (West, Central and [South Asia](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-asia)) and East (East and ASEAN), and the previous competition's ranking was used for seeding.[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html)
The 16 finalists were Qatar (hosts); group winners Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Australia, DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Japan, and China; and the five best second-placed teams, Thailand, Iran, Vietnam, Yemen, and [Uzbekistan](https://www.edgepedia.org/uzbekistan).[7](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/participants_for_afc_u-23_championship_qatar_2016_confirmed.html) Australia topped its qualifying group with a tournament-leading 15 goals, including five from [Jamie Maclaren](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-maclaren), in wins over Hong Kong (6-0), [Chinese Taipei](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-taipei) (4-0), and Myanmar (5-1).[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html)
## Format
The 16 teams were divided into four groups of four, each playing a one-round league. The top two teams in each group, eight in total, advanced to the knockout stage, and the champions, runners-up, and third-placed team qualified for the Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016.[4](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html)
## Group stage
China PR joined host Qatar in [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a), Japan was placed in [Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b) with DPR Korea, and Korea Republic was drawn in Group C with Iraq and Uzbekistan.[8](https://eaff.com/column/52.html) Japan opened with a 1-0 win over DPR Korea on a fifth-minute goal from Naomichi Ueda, beat Thailand 4-0, and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 to top the group.[8](https://eaff.com/column/52.html) Korea Republic's Kwon Chang-hoon scored the first hat-trick of the tournament in a 5-0 victory over Yemen.[9](https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/technical-reports/TSG-Report_-AFC-U23-Championship-Qatar-2016.pdf)
In the quarter-finals, Japan needed extra time to beat I.R. Iran 3-0, with Yuta Toyokawa scoring the first goal and Shoya Nakajima adding two in the second period of extra time.[8](https://eaff.com/column/52.html) Host Qatar eliminated DPR Korea in extra time after So Kyon-jin's stoppage-time free kick had sent that match to extra time.[8](https://eaff.com/column/52.html)
## Knockout stage and Olympic qualification
Both semi-finals were decided by late goals on January 26. Japan beat Iraq 2-1 with a stoppage-time winner from Riki Harakawa, after Saad Natiq had canceled out Yuya Kubo's opener.[10](https://inside.fifa.com/news/japan-claim-asia-s-first-rio-ticket-2756975) Korea Republic beat hosts Qatar 3-1, with Kwon Chang-hoon and Moon Chang-jin scoring late after Ahmed Alaa had leveled Ryu Seung-woo's opener; both winners thereby secured their places at Rio 2016.[10](https://inside.fifa.com/news/japan-claim-asia-s-first-rio-ticket-2756975)
**The final.** In the final at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on January 30, Korea Republic led 2-0 through goals from Kwon Chang-hoon and Jin Sung-wook with just over a quarter of the match remaining. Substitute [Takuma Asano](https://www.edgepedia.org/takuma-asano) came on with 30 minutes to play, scored within six minutes, and Shinya Yajima headed the equaliser two minutes later; with nine minutes left Asano slotted in Naomichi Ueda's through-ball to complete Japan's 3-2 comeback win and a first title.[5](https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/on_this_day_japans_u23_triumph_in_doha.html) • [11](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/flashback_afc_u23_championship_2016_final.html)
**Third-place play-off.** Iraq reached their first Olympic tournament since 2004 by beating Qatar 2-1 in extra time on January 29. Ahmed Alaa's first-half goal was canceled out by Mohanad Abdulraheem's late equaliser, and Aymen Hussein headed the winner in the 109th minute.[6](https://inside.fifa.com/news/iraq-clinch-asia-s-final-rio-spot-2757413) Japan, Korea Republic, and Iraq thus filled Asia's three berths at Rio 2016, where the Olympic football tournament ran from August 4 to August 20.[12](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/japan_korea_republic_and_iraq_to_represent_asia_at_rio_olympics.html)
## Attendance and media reach
The tournament recorded 93,639 spectators over 32 matches, an average of 2,926 per match, almost trebling the figure for the 2013 edition in Oman.[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html) A total of 1,192 media representatives were accredited, all matches were broadcast live on beIN Sports, and 1,800 visas were issued for the championship.[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html) The AFC's Twitter account reached 12.6 million impressions during the tournament, with 2,209,327 impressions in the 24 hours around the final, and the AFC's Facebook page reached 6,745,439 users.[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html) Scouts from European clubs in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal, along with international scouting agencies, attended to watch the continent's young players.[1](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html)
## Aftermath
Takuma Asano's second-half brace in the final made his reputation; by the summer of 2016 he had joined Arsenal, who loaned him to [Stuttgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuttgart) in the [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga).[13](https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/5_players_who_impressed_at_the_2016_afc_u23_championship.html) Korea Republic coach [Shin Tae-yong](https://www.edgepedia.org/shin-tae-yong) later credited the 2016 final defeat, in which his side lost a two-goal lead, as motivation for his team's 4-1 win over Japan in the 2017 EAFF E-1 Championship.[14](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/shin_uses_2016_loss_as_motivation_for_win_against_japan.html)
## References
1. [AFC U23 Championship Qatar 2016 sets new benchmarks, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_sets_new_benchmarks.html)
2. [AFC Competitions Committee meeting, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/about_afc/committees/news/afc_competitions_committee_meeting.html)
3. [Fixtures/Results, AFC U-23 Championship Qatar 2016, JFA](https://www.jfa.jp/eng/national_team/u23_2016/afc_u23_championship_2016/schedule_result/)
4. [AFC U23 Championship Qatar 2016: All You Need to Know, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/afc_u23_championship_qatar_2016_all_you_need_to_know.html)
5. [On This Day: Japan's U23 triumph in Doha, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/on_this_day_japans_u23_triumph_in_doha.html)
6. [Iraq clinch Asia's final Rio spot, FIFA](https://inside.fifa.com/news/iraq-clinch-asia-s-final-rio-spot-2757413)
7. [Participants for AFC U-23 Championship Qatar 2016 confirmed, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/participants_for_afc_u-23_championship_qatar_2016_confirmed.html)
8. [Review of the AFC U-23 Championship Qatar 2016, EAFF Column](https://eaff.com/column/52.html)
9. [AFC U23 Championship Qatar 2016 Technical Report and Statistics, the-AFC.com](https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/technical-reports/TSG-Report_-AFC-U23-Championship-Qatar-2016.pdf)
10. [Japan, Korea Republic secure Rio spots, FIFA](https://inside.fifa.com/news/japan-claim-asia-s-first-rio-ticket-2756975)
11. [Flashback: AFC U23 Championship 2016 final, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/flashback_afc_u23_championship_2016_final.html)
12. [Japan, Korea Republic and Iraq to represent Asia at Rio Olympics, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/japan_korea_republic_and_iraq_to_represent_asia_at_rio_olympics.html)
13. [5 Players who impressed at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/news/5_players_who_impressed_at_the_2016_afc_u23_championship.html)
14. [Shin uses 2016 loss as motivation for win against Japan, the-AFC.com](https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u23_asian_cup/news/shin_uses_2016_loss_as_motivation_for_win_against_japan.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › International competitions beyond FIFA and UEFA › Confederation national-team championships › Confederation youth national-team championships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license