From the spectacular curtain-raiser between hosts Qatar and Lebanon on Friday to Saudi Arabia’s dramatic late win against Oman on Tuesday, 12 matches across six groups saw 37 goals and 10 wins, so join the-AFC.com as we review Matchday One with a closer look at the facts and stats that caught the eye.

Record-breaking crowd

The continental competition began spectacularly on January 12 with 82,490 spectators packed into Lusail Stadium to witness Qatar take on Lebanon – the highest attendance ever recorded for an AFC Asian Cup opening match, eclipsing the previous mark of 40,000 set in the 2004 edition when China PR and Bahrain met at the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing.

Qatar, who won their first-ever Asian crown in 2019 after defeating Japan 3-1 in the final in Abu Dhabi, posted a 3-0 win against the Cedars as the hosts began their title defence in style in front of a sea of supporters cheering them on.

A landmark goal
By equalising for Hong Kong, China in the 49th minute of their Group C opener against the United Arab Emirates in Al Rayyan on Sunday, Philip Chan scored the 1,000th goal in the AFC Asian Cup history – ۶۷ years after his compatriot Au Chi Yin scored the first-ever goal of the tournament in the opening match of the inaugural edition on September 1, 1956.

Chan’s strike, however, could not stop his side from going down to the United Arab Emirates who kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 victory.

Ali among the greats
By doubling Qatar’s lead against Lebanon in the 56th minute, Almoez Ali bagged his 10th goal in the AFC Asian Cup to match Korea Republic’s Lee Dong-gook as the second-highest goalscorer in the competition’s history. Only Iranian legend Ali Daei, with 14 goals, has more goals than the Al Duhail SC striker who emerged as the most valuable player of the 2019 edition with a single-tournament record of nine goals.

The UAE’s Ali Mabkhout, with nine goals, and Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sardar Azmoun, with seven goals, are also among the leading AFC Asian Cup goalscorers who are still active in the tournament.

Samurai Blue march on
Japan were tested by Vietnam in their Group D opener, but a double from Takumi Minamino, who turned 29 on Tuesday, and goals from Keito Nakamura and Ayase Ueda saw Hajime Moriyasu’s men post a 4-2 win and extend their winning run to an incredible 11 international matches.

Their streak kicked off with a 6-0 win against El Salvador last June and has included a 4-1 win against Germany and two 5-0 wins against Myanmar and Syria in the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™. The Samurai Blue have also scored four goals or more in 10 of their last 11 matches.