The Asian Cup will kick off in Qatar on Friday, 12 January: 24 teams will compete for the title. We reckon it's time to get to know the tournament's frontrunners and learn more facts that might prove useful for global bettors.
Let's start with the full list of betting odds on the Asian Cup winner, offered by the Betobet bookmaking company.
For those who find it difficult to assess the odds, we have converted them into percentage.
Here are the favourites to lift the trophy:
Japan: more than 30%
South Korea: more than 18%
Australia: more than 13%
Saudi Arabia: 12.5%
Iran: 12.5%
Interestingly, the reigning champions and hosts Qatar are only sixth in the rankings.
Now, let's have a closer look at some of the Asian Cup participants.
Japan, win betting odds - 3.25
Best Asian Cup results: Winners in 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011
Key players: Takehiro Tomiyasu, Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma
Last 10 games: nine wins, one defeat
Japan are considered the frontrunners for a reason. During the last 12 months, they have beaten Germany 4-1, Turkey 4-2, Peru 4-1, and Canada 4-1. All those games were friendlies but the quality is obvious nonetheless.
Theis squad is so good they can even afford snubbing such players as Kamada (Lazio) and Furuhasi (Celtic).
Among betting trends that are worth mentioning is Japan's ability to score many goals. A bet on 'goals total under X' failed to land only in one game out of their last ten fixtures, the 2-0 win against Tunisia. In eight matches, bet on goals total over 4.5 landed.
Japan is the most attractive side at the upcoming tournament in terms of betting.
Saudi Arabia, win betting odds - 8.00
Best Asian Cup results: Winners in 1984, 1988, and 1996
Key players: Roberto Mancini, Mohamed Kanno, Nasser Al-Dawsari
Last 10 games: three wins, one draw, six defeats
The Saudi team made a sensation at the 2022 World Cup having beaten future champs Argentina. Now they are ready to put on a show at the Asian Cup.
World-famous coach, Roberto Mancini, is ready to guide the team as far as possible. Out of their last three games, Saudi Arabia won all three with a combined scoreline of 7-0 beating Pakistan, Jordan and Lebanon. Considering they will face Thailand, Oman and Kyrgyzstan at the Asian Cup group stage, chances for play-offs are huge.
In Saudi's recent games betting on both teams to score has been the best option - six out of seven games ended without a clean sheet for either side. However, Mancini seems to have managed to fix their defensive issues.
Qatar, win betting odds - 9.00
Best Asian Cup results: reigning champions
Key players: Almoez Ali, Akram Afif
Last 10 games: four wins, two draws, four defeats
Qatar's main problem of recent has been inconsistency. The team was going strong up until the 2022 World Cup and then the motivation to win every game faded away. No wonder they are no longer among the favourites.
In Qatar's last five games, a bet on goals total over 2.5 has landed. Sometimes it happened under unusual circumstances, like in their latest friendly against Jordan where Qatar were defeated 1-2.
Asian Cup underdogs
Iran, win betting odds - 8.00
The team that has the likes of Sardar Azmoun and Saman Ghoddos will definitely try to win the title. Iran haven't lost in official games since the World Cup - and that is eleven games where ten were wins.
UAE, win betting odds - 25.00
Experienced Portuguese coach Paolo Bento and quality players should be enough to qualify for the knockout stages of the Asian Cup. Iran are the favourites in their group but Hong Kong and Palestine are just too weak.
Don't forget that in 2019, the UAE team got to the semi-finals and lost just once, against Qatar.
Bahrain, win betting odds - 101.00
Bahrain's main strength is their defensive game. Solid defense could be crucial playing against South Korea, Malaysia and Jordan. Bettors should pay attention to bets on goals total under: in Bahrain's latest six games, total number of goals has never been more than three per game.
