Asian Cup 2023: Heung-min Son among major stars to miss Premier League action

While the competition will not affect the EPL as much as its African counterparts, a significant impact will still be felt.

South Korea‘s Park Yong-woo (L), Son Heung-min (2L), Hwang In-beom (C), Lee Kang-in (2R) and Kim Min-jae (R) celebrate after scoring a goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifiers football match between China and South Korea at Shenzhen, in China’s southern Guangdong province on November 21, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP

The AFC Asian Cup commences on 12 January where the hosts Qatar, who are also the defending champions, take on Lebanon.

While the competition will not affect the EPL as much as it’s African counterparts, a significant impact will still be felt.

For instance, a struggling Tottenham Hotspur will be without Son Heung-min, who has been one of the team’s most consistent players across years and one of the few lone bright spots this season.

Qatar is the defending champion. | Photo Credit: Kamran Jebreili/AP

Similarly, Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, who will team up with Son for South Korea,and who has been in brilliant goal scoring form for the Old Gold, will also be out of action. Here is the full list of Premier League players who will be taking part in the Asian Cup

List Of Premier League Players Expected To Feature At Asian Cup 2023

Arsenal: Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan)

Aston Villa: None

Bournemouth: None

Brighton: Kaoru Mitoma (Japan)

Brentford: Saman Ghoddos (Iran), Ji-Soo Kim (South Korea)

Burnley: None

Chelsea: None

Crystal Palace: None

Everton: None

Fulham: None

Liverpool: Wataru Endo (Japan)

Luton Town: None

Man City: None

Man United: None

Newcastle: None

Nottingham Forest: None

Sheffield United: None

Tottenham: Son Heung-min (South Korea)

West Ham: None

Wolves: Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea), Justin Hubner (Indonesia)

Tournament Dates

The Asian Cup will begin on January 12 and end with the final on February 10. Its group stage will finish on January 25. A total of 24 teams are taking part in the competition.

How many Premier League games will the players miss?

Every player involved in the Asian Cup will be unavailable for the Premier League’s matchweek 21, which will be spread across two weekends. Those knocked out at the end of the group stage will likely only miss one Premier League game.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will be hoping that Son’s sabbatical is only a short one. South Korea is one of the favourites to make the final. And if they end up doing so, the Lily Whites will miss the player for four EPL games.