AFC Asian Cup
After breaking new barriers to reach the knockout stage for the first time at AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, Palestine will be pushing hard to etch a new chapter in their history at the 19th edition of the illustrious competition.
Factfile
FIFA Ranking: 92
Previous appearances: 3
First appearance: 2015
Best finish: Round of 16 (2023)
2023 result: Round of 16
How they qualified: Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 Group I runners-up
Group A fixtures - Jan 7 v Saudi Arabia, Jan 12 v Kuwait, Jan 17 v Oman
Fun fact: Palestine qualified for the 2015 tournament after four previous unsuccessful attempts.
Their debut at Australia 2015 was a chastening experience with three defeats in the group stage before improvements at UAE 2019 saw Palestine earn their first point with a draw with Syria before eventually finishing third in Group B and missing out on the knockout stage.
Better things were to come in the next edition when a historic first win was achieved in a 3-0 victory against Hong Kong, China that saw Palestine finishing third on four points in Group C to advance to the Round of 16.
A battling 2-1 defeat at the hands of eventual champions Qatar put paid to their hopes of going further but Palestine earned plenty of plaudits with their performances under Makram Daboub.
Ihab Abujazar took over in 2024 and Palestine stayed on their upward trajectory with notable results in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 where they twice held Korea Republic to stalemates.
In their latest international friendlies building up towards the continental showpiece, the West Asian side continued to shine with a 2-2 draw with New Zealand, beating Tajikistan 4-2 before an outstanding display against China PR in Chongqing where they came away with a 5-0 victory.
Oday Dabbagh is the talisman, with the forward now plying his trade in Egypt with Zamalek - having previously turned out for Charleroi in Belgium and Aberdeen in Scotland.
