Iraq vs Australia

Two champions, and the match that decides the group

Group D contains two former winners of this tournament, and they meet on the second matchday at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. Iraq won in 2007; Australia won in 2015. Groups A and F have two apiece as well: eight of the twenty-four teams in Saudi Arabia have won this tournament at some point.

The two titles were won in very different circumstances. Iraq took theirs away from home, at a tournament shared between Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, beating Saudi Arabia in the final. Australia took theirs as hosts, beating South Korea in extra time in the final on home soil.

Since then neither has repeated it, and neither has come particularly close. With Tajikistan and Singapore making up the rest of the group, this is in all likelihood the match that decides who tops Group D and who takes the harder route through the round of 16.

The two records

This is a eleventh Asian Cup for Iraq, whose best finish is winners (2007), against a sixth for Australia, best winners (2015).