The 2023 edition will be the team’s fifth appearance after 1964, 1968, 2011, and 2019
Head coach Igor Stimac’s chances of replicating the high of Harry Wright’s team finishing runners-up in the 1964 edition look bleak
Ranked 102, the national team has its task cut out in the group stage against higher ranked nations- Australia(25), Uzbekistan(68), and Syria(91)
1964- Runners Up
Despite a gold medal at the 1962 Asian games, the team’s chances were undermined at the very first appearance in the quadrennial cup, only a four-team-event
However, the team defied all odds to reach the final before losing to eventual winner Israel 2-0
1984: Group stage knockout
The team’s second appearance was one to forget as it finished with one draw and 3 losses, crashing out in the group stage
2011: Group stage knockout
The story did not change after 27 years and for the first time in the team’s Asian Cup history, three losses meant it went back home without scoring a point
2019: Group stage knockout
The team started its 2019 campaign on a positive note, beating Thailand 4-1
However, the good start failed to translate into progress as the team once again said goodbye after the group stage, ending with two losses and a win