Asian Games men’s football commences Aug 14

Kuala Lumpur: Asian Games men’s football defending champions Korea Republic will play in the five-team Group E for the 2018 edition, following the re-draw to include Palestine and United Arab Emirates at the AFC House on Wednesday. The Taeguk Warriors, led by Son Heung-min, will defend their title against Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Similarly in Group A, hosts Indonesia drew Hong Kong, Laos, Chinese Taipei and Palestine. The U-23 tournament, which allows each country to field three overage players, will see 26 teams vying for honours. Group B has Thailand, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh and Qatar, while Group C will see 2014 bronze medalists Iraq, China PR, Timor-Leste and Syria. Japan were the seeded team in Group D and they were drawn with Vietnam, Pakistan and Nepal. DPR Korea, the 2014 silver medalists, will face Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran and Myanmar in Group F. The top two teams in each group along with the four best third placed teams will advance to the Round of 16. Men’s football will be contested on August 14 to September 1 in Jakarta and Palembang.