32 – There have been 32 teams that have participated in the tournament since 1956, with that number set to rise to 35 with the introduction of the three debutants in 2019.
3 – The number of debutants who will take to the field at UAE 2019 as Kyrgyz Republic, the Philippines (pictured) and Yemen all make their continental bows following successful qualifying campaigns.
17 – The 24-team AFC Asian Cup in the UAE will be the 17th edition of the tournament. Korea Republic claimed the first title in Hong Kong in 1956, Australia won the most recent on home soil in 2015.
Dubai: The draw for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 is just two days away with the six groups set to be unveiled during a glittering ceremony at the Armani Hotel Ballroom in the UAE’s iconic Burj Khalifa on Friday.
It was an arduous campaign as 45 teams competed in a qualifying campaign that began in March 2015. Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the 12 teams who will be in Pots 1 and 2 of the draw for the expanded 24-team AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
FIFA Ranking: 81
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 9
AFC Asian Cup Record: Runners-up – 1996
Head Coach: Alberto Zaccheroni (ITA)
As hosts, the UAE have been placed in Pot A for Friday’s draw and head coach Alberto Zaccheroni’s men will be eager to know the result as they target lifting the new AFC Asian Cup trophy on home soil come February 1, 2019.
IR IRAN
FIFA Ranking: 36
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 13
AFC Asian Cup Record: Champions – 1976, 1972, 1968
Head Coach: Carlos Queiroz (POR)
Iran will be eager to translate their position as the Continent’s top ranked team into a tournament-winning squad as they look to add to the hat-trick of titles won between 1968 and 1976.
AUSTRALIA
FIFA Ranking: 40
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 3
AFC Asian Cup Record: Champions 2015
Head Coach: Graham Arnold (AUS)
(after FIFA World Cup Russia 2018)
Definitely boosted after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 in arduous fashion, Australia will look to defend the AFC Asian Cup title they won for the first time in spectacular fashion on home soil in 2015 with new head coach Graham Arnold plotting their bid.
JAPAN
FIFA Ranking: 60
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 8
AFC Asian Cup Record: Champions – 2011, 2004, 2000, 1992
Head Coach: Akira Nishino (JPN)
A fifth title is what Japan will be targeting to further consolidate themselves as the most successful team in the AFC Asian Cup, especially after having being eliminated in the 2015 quarter-finals.
KOREA REPUBLIC
FIFA Ranking: 61
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 13
AFC Asian Cup Record: Champions – 1960, 1956
Head Coach: Shin Tae-yong (KOR)
Given their pedigree, Korea Republic will surely be among the favourites to lift the AFC Asian Cup trophy, especially after having suffered heartbreak in the 2015 final against Australia which meant their wait for a third title continued.
SAUDI ARABIA
FIFA Ranking: 70
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 9
AFC Asian Cup Record: Champions – 1996, 1988, 1984
Head Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi (ARG)
Saudi Arabia will feel they are long overdue a fourth AFC Asian Cup title and boosted by their FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualification, the West Asians are surely among the favourites in UAE 2019.
CHINA PR
FIFA Ranking: 73
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 11
AFC Asian Cup Record: Runners-up – 2004, 1984
Head Coach: Marcello Lippi (ITA)
Having suffered the heartbreak of missing out on the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, China PR will look to erase that disappointment by lifting the AFC Asian Cup title for the first time, having twice finished as runners-up.
SYRIA
FIFA Ranking: 76
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 5
AFC Asian Cup Record: Group Stage – 2011, 1996, 1988, 1984, 1980
Head Coach: Bernd Stange (GER)
Syria will be a team to watch, especially after their hugely impressive run in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifiers, where the West Asians were only shown the exit after a huge effort against Australia in the Continental Pla
UZBEKISTAN
FIFA Ranking: 88
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 6
AFC Asian Cup Record: Fourth – 2011
Acting Head Coach: Ravshan Khaydarov (UZB)
Surely disappointed after missing out on a place in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, Uzbekistan will aim to stamp their mark in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and they have the quality to go far, as shown by their juniors triumph in the AFC U23 Championship 2018.
IRAQ
FIFA Ranking: 88
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 8
AFC Asian Cup Record: Champions – 2007
Head Coach: Basim Al Suwaid (IRQ)
Iraq, as always, will be a team to watch and they will be eager to better their fourth place finish of 2015 and add to their majestic triumph in 2007.
QATAR
FIFA Ranking: 101
Previous AFC Asian Cup Appearances: 9
AFC Asian Cup Record: Q-finalists – 2011, 2000
Head Coach: Felix Sanchez (SPA)
Despite nine previous appearances in the AFC Asian Cup, Qatar have only progressed as far as the quarter-finals on two occasions and that is a stat Felix Sanchez’s squad will be out to better in UAE 2019.
Dubai: Footballing legend Zuhair Bakheet will play a central role as the focus of the Asian football community shifts its attention to the Armani Hotel Ballroom at the UAE’s iconic Burj Khalifa on Friday for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Final Draw.
Zuhair will be the link between the tournament that will kick off on January 5, 2019 and the last time the AFC Asian Cup was held in the UAE – 22 years ago when he was the Emirati’s star striker.
Zuhair, who played in three Asian Cups as well as the FIFA World Cup in Italy in 1990, is a firm favourite with the local crowds after a stellar career with Dubai club Al Wasl. And again on Friday he will ‘lead the line’ when he heads a cast of legendary players from across Asia and the five AFC regions as well as the head coaches, officials and dignitaries from all 24 participating teams.
Four pots each containing six teams will be emptied by the draw assistants and placed into the six groups (Group A to F). Hosts UAE, who will occupy the first position in Pot 1, will kick-off the tournament on January 5, 2019 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, which is also the venue where the ultimate champions of Asia will be crowned on February 1, 2019.
Joining the host nation in Pot 1 are three-time AFC Asian Cup champions, Islamic Republic of Iran, defending champions, Australia, and the tournament’s most successful nation, Japan as well as Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.
The Final Draw will be hosted by leading sports broadcaster, John Dykes from the FOX Sports Network and will include the unveiling of the official mascot, the competition’s official match ball, to name but a few of the many thrilling activities.
In addition to revealing the latest match ball sponsors, the draw will also see several interactive activations by the AFC’s commercial partners, which include international tyre manufacturer Continental, renowned Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer and award-winning airline Emirates.
The biggest-ever AFC Asian Cup will host a total of 51 matches played in eight stadiums across four Host Cities – Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah – in 28 days of captivating action.
Kuala Lumpur: From its humble beginnings in 1956, the AFC Asian Cup has developed into the Continent’s premier football tournament, bringing together the top national teams from the length and breadth of Asia to compete for one of international football’s most sought-after prizes every four years.
With the Official Draw of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 UAE just two days away, the-AFC.com reviews how the competition has progressed into the Continent’s most prestigious football tournament.
The tournament had its roots in the formation of the Asian Football Confederation in Manila in 1954. The 12 founding members of the AFC sought to shape the development of the game in Asia and one of the keys to achieving that aim was the organisation of a regional competition for the continent’s national sides.
Some two years later, the first ever AFC Asian Cup was staged in Hong Kong with eight Member Associations vying for the right to be declared champions of Asia.
Over half a century later, the AFC Asian Cup has grown to encompass teams from throughout the continent and has become the barometer by which the continually changing balance of power in Asian football is measured.
From the dominance of Korea Republic in the early years of the competition, the AFC Asian Cup became the preserve of the Islamic Republic of Iran who won three consecutive tournaments from 1968 to 1976.
During the 1980s, the Gulf states asserted themselves with Kuwait – in 1980 – becoming the first Arab side to win the competition, before Saudi Arabia claimed three of the next four titles, reaching the final five times in a row.
Japan’s AFC Asian Cup victories in 1992, 2000 and 2004 then signalled a shift in power back to East Asia at the turn of the Millennium.
In 2007, the competition was co-hosted for the first time, with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam providing the backdrop for the AFC Asian Cup’s 14th edition. Iraq sensationally defeated Saudi Arabia to clinch the title in Southeast Asia, with the fairy-tale win a clear sign of football’s immense power to bring people together.
Four years on and the coveted crown returned to Japan as the Samurai Blue claimed a record fourth AFC Asian Cup success in Qatar, before defeated finalists Australia regrouped to claim the trophy on home soil in 2015.
The Caltex Socceroos will find out who is in their group for next year’s AFC Asian Cup title defence, when the draw for the 2019 tournament is held in the early hours of Saturday morning (AEST).
In a first for the AFC Asian Cup, 24 nations will be involved for the tournament in the UAE, with the six groups to be determined from 1.30am on Saturday (AEST).
As defending champions and one of the highest-ranked nations in the AFC, Bert van Marwijk’s side are in Pot 1 alongside hosts UAE, Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.
One team from each of the pots will be drawn into six groups of four, with 16 countries to then advance to the knockout stages.
That will include the top two from each group which makes the round of 16 automatically, while the four best third-placed nations from the six groups will qualify.
This will be the second time the UAE has hosted the tournament, losing the final to Saudi Arabia on the last occasion in 1996.
TV TOTAL 