Oman in the Asian Cup
After appearing in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Oman is looking to chart new boundaries at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar.
The draw placed the Omani team in Group Six, which means facing Saudi Arabia, the three-time defending champion, Thailand and Kyrgyzstan.
Oman is in the Asian Cup finals for the fifth time in its history, and with its qualification for this edition, it will have participated for the first time in three consecutive editions of the continental tournament. It is noteworthy that the Omani Reds passed the group stage for the first time in the UAE 2019 edition, but lost 0-2 to Iran in Round of 16.
Statistics indicate that the Omani national team failed to score in 54% of its matches in the Asian Cup finals (7/13), but it equaled its highest scoring tally during the last edition (four goals), which was achieved for the first time in 2004.
In the Qatar 2023 edition, Oman will face, for the third time, its counterpart Thailand in the group stage of the Asian Cup after two previous confrontations in 2004 and 2007. In addition, for the second time in a row, Oman will play against a team from Central Asia, after facing Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the last edition of the continental tournament.
Considering the results of the Omani national team, it has conceded goals in its last four matches in the Asian Cup, which is the longest series of conceding goals currently in the continental championship. However, despite this, Al-Ahmar scored a total of 10 goals in its previous four matches in the Asian Cup, and its historical top scorer is Imad Al Hosani scored three goals, followed by Mohsen Al Ghassani with two goals.
It is noteworthy that Oman is in Group 6, and begins its matches against Saudi Arabia (January 16), then against Thailand (January 21) and Kyrgyzstan (January 26).