Five desert rodents — Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh — re-appear to be the face of Asian Cup Qatar 2023

The five desert rodents — Saboog, Tmbki, Freha, Zkriti and Traeneh, who were the face of the event when the country hosted the AFC Asian Cup for the second time in its history — will once again be the face of Asia’s most prestigious football tournament when it kicks off on January 12, 2024. At a special event in Doha on Friday, the well-known figures who made their debut twelve years ago were once again introduced as the Asian Cup Qatar 2023 mascots.

The mascots have developed and evolved since their 2011 debut, and they are now prepared for a new AFC Asian Cup. This time, Katara Studios has created an anime-inspired animation that brings the characters to life. Throughout the tournament and in the lead-up to it, viewers will be treated to an animated piece that evokes the nostalgia of classic cartoons from the past.

The song was sung by Qatari singer Dana Al Meer and the renowned Tarek Al Arabi Tourgane, while the animation was directed by Fahad Al Kuwari.

The family's blue-colored son, Saboog, is the first of the five mascots. His name is taken from the Qatari term for jerboa that is frequently used.

The family's pink-haired eldest daughter, Freha, comes in second; she gets her name from the northern Qatari region of the same name.

The youngest son, Tmbiki, who is yellow in colour and called after the Timbic area of eastern part of the country, comes third.

Zikriti, the father, is green-colored, and Traeneh, the mother, is purple-colored. They have the names of Tranaa in the north and Zikrit in the west of Qatar.

The reintroduction of the mascots, according to Hassan Al Kuwari, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC), is evidence of Qatar's long history of success in staging major athletic events.