Korea Republic have been pitted against Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain in the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup finals that will take place in Qatar in January next year.

The Final Draw for the continental finals took place at Katara Opera House in Doha, Qatar on Thursday, where Jurgen Klinsmann’s charges were drawn in Group E alongside Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain. Korea Republic, ranked 27th in the current FIFA World Ranking (third amongst the finalists), had been seeded in Pot 1 along with hosts Qatar, Japan, Iran, Australia and Saudi Arabia, although they are set to face strong challenges from the group stage.

Malaysia may have recorded eight wins, 12 draws and 26 defeats against Korea Republic, but it would be unwise to underestimate the traditional powerhouse of Southeast Asia that are currently led by Korean coach Kim Pangon.

Korea Republic have never lost against Jordan, whose head-to-head record against the Taegeuk Warriors are two draws and three defeats.

Bahrain are one of the relatively familiar foes in the Asian Cup finals, with Korea Republic recording 11 wins, four draws and one defeat – including two wins and a defeat in the continental finals. Most recently, the Taegeuk Warriors emerged victorious with Hwang Heechan and Kim Jinsu on target in a 2-1 win in the round of 16 back in 2019.

The 2023 Asian Cup finals will take place in eight venues around Doha and Al Rayyan from 12 January to 10 February next year. A total of 24 participating teams are set to compete in the group stage that consists of six groups of four teams, with the winners and the runners-up from each group advancing to the round of 16 along with four third-placed teams with best results. The Asian Cup had been scheduled to take place in China from June to July this year, before Qatar took over in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Korea Republic are looking to claim the continental supremacy after a 64-year title drought, having won the inaugural edition in 1956 and then the second one in 1960. They reached the quarter-finals of the competition in United Arab Emirates in 2019.

Meanwhile, the men’s national team will take on Peru and El Salvador in a series of friendlies on home soil in June, with the venues and kick-off times to be decided at a later date.

Group A – Qatar, China PR, Tajikistan, Lebanon

Group B – Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, India

Group C – Iran, UAE, Hong Kong, Palestine

Group D – Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam

Group E – Korea Republic, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahrain

Group F – Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Oman