Japan and South Korea eye football prize as Asian Cup kicks off

LONDON — Japan and South Korea are the two soccer teams to beat in Qatar, where the 2023 AFC Asian Cup begins on Saturday with 24 nations competing. History shows, however, that the favorites do not always bring the trophy home.

In 2019, Qatar shocked the continent by defeating the two East Asian powers along the way to lifting the trophy in Abu Dhabi. But a few years later, Korea and especially Japan are stronger, in relative terms. The tournament’s original start was postponed after China dropped its hosting rights.