The holders start
Qatar are defending a title they have already defended once. They won in 2019, then won again at home in 2023. Four nations had managed consecutive titles before them, Japan among them, so the feat is not unheard of here, but a trophy from the last ten years is something no other team in Saudi Arabia can claim.
Thailand have the older history and a very different shape to it. Third place in 1972, as hosts. Nothing approaching it in the seven appearances since. What they do have is a run of recent qualification, after long stretches when they did not manage it at all.
Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium holds 25 000, which for a champion opening a defence is modest. Group F carries six Asian Cup titles between its four teams, more than any other group at this tournament, and the margin for a slow start is thin in proportion.
Japan 
Indonesia
Thailand 
Qatar