According to a Mehr reporter, with less than three months remaining until the start of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, excitement for the tournament has grown, and the Asian Football Confederation has, in a report, reviewed some of the interesting statistics and records in the history of this competition.

Japan; the championship record holder

Japan's national football team, with four championships, is considered the most decorated team in Asian Cup history. The Japanese won the title in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. The team's last championship came in 2011 with a 1-0 victory over Australia in the final.

Iran's unique record; three consecutive championships

Iran's national football team is the only team in Asian Cup history to have won three consecutive editions of the tournament. Iran's national players became champions of Asia consecutively in 1968, 1972 and 1976, setting a unique record in the history of this competition.

Tim Cahill; an unrepeatable record

Tim Cahill, the renowned Australian football striker, scored his national team's first goal in three consecutive editions of the Asian Cup, in 2007, 2011 and 2015; a record that no other player has managed to repeat so far.

Cahill is also the only player in the past 20 years of the Asian Cup to have scored in this competition after turning 35. In 2015, he scored against the national teams of Kuwait and China.

Iran and China; the repeat of a historic encounter

The national football teams of Iran and China will face each other for the eighth time at the 2027 Asian Cup. This match, alongside the fixture between the national teams of South Korea and Kuwait, is considered the most frequently repeated encounter in Asian Cup history.

Younis Mahmoud; a man with special records

Younis Mahmoud, the former striker of Iraq's national football team, is the only player to have scored in four different editions of the Asian Cup, namely 2004, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

He is also one of four players who scored both the first and the last goal of their national team on its path to the title. Younis Mahmoud set this record at the 2007 Asian Cup during Iraq's championship run.

Almoez Ali's brilliance and four goals against North Korea

Almoez Ali, the striker of Qatar's national football team, scored four goals in the match against North Korea at the 2019 Asian Cup. This performance is among only five instances in Asian Cup history in which a player has scored four goals in a single match.

Saudi Arabia; champions in their first appearance

Saudi Arabia's national football team is one of only three teams to have won the title in their first appearance at the Asian Cup. The Saudis lifted the championship trophy in 1984, in their first appearance in the tournament.

Saudi Arabia also became champions of Asia in 1988 and 1996. Interestingly, both finals were decided by penalty shootouts, and these two matches are the only finals in Asian Cup history that went to penalties to determine the champion.

The final jinx for South Korea

South Korea's national football team, which won the first two editions of the Asian Cup, lost in its next four appearances in the final. This statistic has made South Korea the team that has lost the final match more than any other country in Asian Cup history.

The 2027 Asian Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, and the teams taking part in the tournament are striving to etch their names into its history.

Source: Mehr News Agency