Host country Kuwait Champions Kuwait (1st title) Fourth place North Korea Teams 10 Matches played 24 | Venue(s) 1 (in 1 host city) Runners-up South Korea Dates 15 Sep 1980 – 30 Sep 1980 Goals scored 76 | |
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Top scorer(s) Behtash Fariba
Choi Soon-ho
(7 goals each) Champion Kuwait national football team Third place Iran national football team Similar 1976 AFC Asian Cup, 1972 AFC Asian Cup, 1988 AFC Asian Cup, 1984 AFC Asian Cup, 1968 AFC Asian Cup | ||
The 1980 AFC Asian Cup was the seventh edition of the Asian Nations Cup, the football championship of Asia (AFC). It was hosted by Kuwait between 15 and 30 September. The field of ten teams was split into two groups of five. Kuwait won their first championship, beating Korea Republic in the final 3–0. Midway through the tournament, Iraq invaded Iran. Kuwaiti television supported the attack and aired propaganda in favor of the Iraqis. This led to a very poor atmosphere in the Iranian camp, especially for Hassan Roshan whose brother was killed in the attacks and was one of the main reasons the team fell apart late in the tournament.
Contents
Qualification
The other 8 qualifying teams were:
Squads
For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 1980 AFC Asian Cup squads.