# Syria at the AFC Asian Cup

Syria has been a major participant in the AFC Asian Cup with seven appearances in the tournament, in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011, 2019, and 2023. At 2023 Asian Cup, Omar Khribin scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over India, which granted Syria its first win in the competition since 2011, and first ever qualification to the knockout phase as one of the best third-placed teams.
Until 2024, Syria have never qualified past the group stage in the Asian Cup, with them narrowly missing out on the knock-out stage in 1980 and knock-out stage in 1996 due to 1 missed point; both eliminations involved China national football team.

## AFC Asian Cup record
### 1980 Kuwait
#### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Iran | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 |
| North Korea | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 6 |
| Syria | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
| China | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 3 |
| Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | −15 | 0 |

### 1984 Singapore
#### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Saudi Arabia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| Kuwait | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| Qatar | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Syria | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 |
| South Korea | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 2 |

### 1988 Qatar
#### Group B

| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| Saudi Arabia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| China | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| Syria | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 |
| Kuwait | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
| Bahrain | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 |

### 1996 United Arab Emirates
#### Group C

| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| Japan | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 |
| China | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Syria | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
| Uzbekistan | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 |

### 2011 Qatar
#### Group B

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 7 |
| Jordan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| Syria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 |
| 9 January 2011 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1–2 | Syria |
| 13 January 2011 |
| Syria | 1–2 | Japan |
| 17 January 2011 |
| Jordan | 2–1 | Syria |

### 2019 United Arab Emirates
#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Jordan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Palestine | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 2 | |
| 4 | Syria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 | |

### 2023 Qatar
#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Syria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | India | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 | |

##### Ranking of third-placed teams

| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | E | Jordan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | C | Palestine | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | B | Syria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | D | Indonesia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 5 | F | Oman | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 6 | A | China | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 2 | |

#### Knockout stage
##### Round of 16
## Overall record

| AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | | AFC Asian Cup qualification record | AFC Asian Cup qualification record | AFC Asian Cup qualification record | AFC Asian Cup qualification record | AFC Asian Cup qualification record | AFC Asian Cup qualification record |
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| 1956 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation |
| 1960 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation |
| 1964 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation |
| 1968 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation | Declined participation |
| 1972 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 1976 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1980 | Round 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | Round 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| 1988 | Round 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| 1992 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 1996 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 |
| 2004 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 10 |
| 2007 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 6 |
| 2011 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 2015 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 2019 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 11 |
| 2023 | Round of 16 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 7 |
| 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 |
| Total | 7/19 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 30 | | 72 | 40 | 13 | 20 | 143 | 74 |

### Record results

Syria's Asian Cup record :
| First match | Iran 0–0 Syria (17 September 1980; Kuwait City, Kuwait) |
| Biggest win | Uzbekistan 1–2 Syria (12 December 1996; Al Ain, United Arab Emirates) Saudi Arabia 1–2 Syria (9 January 2011; Al Rayyan, Qatar) Syria 1–0 India (23 January 2024; Al Khor, Qatar) |
| Biggest defeat | China 3–0 Syria (4 December 1988; Doha, Qatar) China 3–0 Syria (9 December 1996; Al Ain, United Arab Emirates) |
| Best result | Round of 16 (2023) |
| Worst result | Group stage (1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2011, 2019) |

## Goalscorers

| Player | Goals | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1996 | 2011 | 2019 | 2023 |
| Omar Khribin | 3 | | | | | | 1 | 2 |
| Walid Abu Al-Sel | 2 | | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| Jamal Keshek | 2 | 2 | | | | | | |
| Nader Joukhadar | 2 | | | | 2 | | | |
| Abdelrazaq Al-Hussain | 2 | | | | | 2 | | |
| Total | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
* Only players with minimum 2 goals scored