The Return of the 'Samakjwi Family'... Qatar Asian Cup Mascot Unveiled

Reuse of 2011 Competition Mascot

The official mascot of the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup, opening in January next year, 'The Five-member Family Jeboa,' has been unveiled.

The Qatar Asian Cup Organizing Committee held a mascot unveiling event on the 2nd (Korean time) at Baharat Msheireb Square in Doha, Qatar.

The mascot is a family of five desert rats called 'Jeboa.' It is modeled after the Jeboa, a rodent native to the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Although only 5 to 15 cm in body length, it can run at speeds exceeding 20 km/h and jump up to 3 meters high. Hence, it is also called the 'running rat.'

The mascots each have different colors. Blue represents the eldest son Sabug, yellow the second son Timki, and pink the eldest daughter Prehada. Green is the father Zikriti, and purple is the mother Traeneda. Sabug is the name used for Jeboa in Qatar, and the other four family members’ names are derived from place names in Qatar.

They were the mascots of the 2011 Qatar Asian Cup and are returning to the official stage after 12 years. Reusing mascots for international tournaments is a rare case. Hassan Al Kuwari, Marketing Director of the Qatar Asian Cup Organizing Committee, said, "This tournament’s mascot evokes wonderful memories of 2011 while embodying the excitement and energy of the new competition."

The Qatari artist Ahmed Al Madhi, who created the mascot, explained, "I wanted to highlight the importance of teamwork in football and family life in Qatari society together. I wanted to deeply explore Qatar’s rich ecosystem and find an animal that best represents what happens in stadiums and daily life, and that was the Jeboa."

The Qatar Asian Cup will kick off with the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon at 1 a.m. on the 13th of next month, starting about a month of intense competition. Korea, led by coach J?rgen Klinsmann, will compete in Group E against Malaysia, Jordan, and Bahrain.