Syria has been a major participant in the
AFC Asian Cup with seven appearances in the tournament, in
1980,
1984,
1988,
1996,
2011,
2019, and
2023. At 2023 Asian Cup,
Omar Khribin scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over
India, which granted Syria its first win in the competition since 2011, and first ever qualification to the knockout phase as one of the best third-placed teams.[1]
Until 2024, Syria have never qualified past the group stage in the Asian Cup, with them narrowly missing out on the
knock-out stage in 1980 and
knock-out stage in 1996 due to 1 missed point; both eliminations involved
China national football team.
1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under other name(s). 2 Israel was a member of the AFC until 1974. 3 Recognized by FIFA as defunct.