1956 AFC Asian Cup

This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 14 July 2024.

The 1956 AFC Asian Cup was the inaugural AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial continental association football competition introduced and organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The final tournament was held in Hong Kong from 1 September to 15 September 1956 as a four-team round-robin competition with no final. It was won by South Korea.[1][2]

1956 AFC Asian Cup
Asian Cup Hong Kong 1956
1956年亞洲盃足球賽
South Korea, the winner of 1956 AFC Asian Cup, at Hong Kong Stadium
Tournament details
Host countryHong Kong
Dates1–15 September
Teams4
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions South Korea (1st title)
Runners-up Israel
Third place Hong Kong
Fourth place South Vietnam
Tournament statistics
Matches played6
Goals scored27 (4.5 per match)
Attendance136,000 (22,667 per match)
Top scorer(s)Israel Nahum Stelmach
(4 goals)
1960

An unusual ruling meant that all games were 80 minutes long, with an extra 30 minutes extra time if the game was drawn at full time (although this didn’t happen due to bad light).[3]

Venues

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Hong Kong
Government Stadium
Capacity: 28,000
 

Qualification

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  Qualified
  Did not qualify
  Withdrew before playing any matches
  Did not enter
  Not an AFC member
Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearance
  Hong Kong Hosts N/A 0 (debut)
  South Vietnam Central Zone winners 24 May 1956 0 (debut)
  South Korea Eastern Zone winners 2 September 1956 0 (debut)
  Israel Western Zone winners (Automatically qualified since other nations withdrew) 1956 0 (debut)

Squads

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Results

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All times are Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   South Korea 3 2 1 0 9 6 +3 5 Champions
2   Israel 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 4 Runners-up
3   Hong Kong (H) 3 0 2 1 6 7 −1 2 Third place
4   South Vietnam 3 0 1 2 6 9 −3 1 Fourth place
Source: RSSSF
(H) Hosts
Hong Kong  2–3  Israel
Au Chi Yin [zh]   12', 66' Glazer   37', 76'
Stelmach   69'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: H.A. Sheppard (England)

South Korea  2–2  Hong Kong
Kim Ji-sung   45'
Sung Nak-woon   62'
Tang Yee Kit [zh]   10'
Ko Po Keung [zh]   39'
Attendance: 25,000

Israel  1–2  South Korea
Stelmach   71' Woo Sang-kwon   52'
Sung Nak-woon   64'
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Trương Văn Ky (South Vietnam)

South Vietnam  2–2  Hong Kong
Trần Văn Tổng   30'
Lê Hữu Đức   64'
Chu Wing Wah [zh]   59' (pen.)
Lau Chi Lam [zh]   79'
Attendance: 20,000

Israel  2–1  South Vietnam
Stelmach   14', 27' Trần Văn Tổng   58'
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Tommy Tucker (England)

South Korea  5–3  South Vietnam
Sung Nak-woon   5'
Woo Sang-kwon   41' (pen.), 58'
Choi Chung-min   57', 66'
Trải Văn Đào   20'
Lê Hữu Đức   51', 63'
Attendance: 13,000

Winners

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 AFC Asian Cup 1956 winners 
 
South Korea

First title

Goalscorers

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With four goals, Nahum Stelmach is the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 27 goals were scored by 15 different players, with none of them credited as own goal.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

References

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  1. ^ "Asian Cup: Know Your History - Part One (1956-1988) | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  2. ^ "1956 AFC Asian Cup". Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Inside World Football - Asian Cup 1956". Retrieved 13 June 2023.