The build-up to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s 2023 age-group tournaments gained momentum today with the launch of the brand identities of the upcoming editions of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ and the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2023™, both of which will return after a hiatus of four years.
The competitions, which have shifted from their erstwhile identities of U-16 and U-19 Championships to ensure Asian teams are competitive in the FIFA U-17 and FIFA U-20 World Cups respectively, depict new designs which, while vibrant and youthful in isolation, are tied to a greater narrative of a youth footballer on their journey towards the senior national teams.
Competitions for the senior teams of the AFC’s Member Associations (MAs) have typically been associated with a brand celebrating victory and national pride.
The logos of youth tournaments have been uniquely crafted to focus primarily on the young aspirational footballer, presenting the Continent’s emerging talent with opportunities to compete at the highest levels.
For the AFC U-17 Asian Cup™, the icon showcases a ball in motion in the first part of the narrative. The story continues with the icon of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup™, which depicts a footballer preparing to strike, representing the ambitions of competing at the senior level.
Together, the logos of the U-17 and U-20 AFC Asian Cups coupled with those of the senior teams tell the story of a youngster who goes through the various stepping stones in their pursuit to grace the most elite stage of the beautiful game.
The tournament logos aim towards weaving a distinct presence for themselves, each with a memorable, and easy-to-associate colour palette. These will be used extensively on the AFC’s digital platforms as well as in various commercial opportunities.
Thus the brand identity of these logos have carefully taken a more youthful and energetic approach to the tournaments.
With Asia home to 60% of the world’s youth, the brand has taken special care to promote relevant characteristics, such as vibrancy, growth, and aspiration, all of which seeks to build a sense of affinity with the younger population and, above all, further underlines the AFC’s Vision of ensuring football remains the Continent’s number one sport.