Qatar is set to host the 2023 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee announced on Monday.

The Gulf state, scheduled to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 next month, beat South Korea and Indonesia’s football federations to secure the 2023 Asian tournament.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated Qatar’s Football Association (QFA) on the victorious bid.

“On behalf of the AFC and the Asian football family, I want to congratulate the Qatar Football Association on being awarded the hosting rights of the upcoming edition of the AFC Asian Cup,” said Al Khalifa.

The AFC President applauded Qatar’s hosting record and capabilities in hosting the tournament in such a short amount of time.

“Given the short lead time in preparation, we know that the hard work begins immediately, but with their existing world-class infrastructure and unrivaled hosting capabilities, we are confident that Qatar will stage a worthy spectacle befitting the prestige and stature of Asia’s crown jewel,” Al Khalifa also stated.

Initially, China was set to host the tournament, however the country’s zero-Covid-19 policy pushed the AFC to find another host.

Indonesia threw its hat in the ring with South Korea. However, this month’s football tragedy, in which 125 fans were killed, undoubtedly impacted the country from being chosen.

The Southeast Asia country will still host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, its first FIFA tournament.

In addition to hosting the 2030 Asian Games, the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions will also be the host for the AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2024.

This will be the third time the country has hosted the event since the 1988 and 2011 editions.

The 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup will kick off from 16 June to 16 July 2023, with 24 teams participating.