Historic new chapter beckons for Asia’s crown jewel

After 16 editions and nearly 63 years, UAE 2019 signals a decisive shift for football in Asia after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced some of the most significant changes and ground-breaking innovations in the history of the tournament. Most recently, the AFC Executive Committee at its meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan approved the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which will be implemented at some stage during the tournament, further underlining its commitment to embrace technological advances for the growth of Asian football. For the first time, a record 24 teams will compete for the ultimate prize and the expanded format means teams from all five AFC zones are represented, which has also paved the way for Kyrgyz Republic, the Philippines and Yemen to mark their historic debut on Asia’s biggest stage. Another first since the inaugural edition in 1956, a dazzling new trophy was unveiled at the star-studded final draw to showcase the powerful spirit of Asia’s most prestigious tournament and capture the undeniable passion and ever-growing stature of the tournament.

Further enhancing the value of the tournament, a new prize fund totalling USD$14.8 million has also been introduced, which will reward all 24 participating nations for their success. The remarkable rise of the AFC Asian Cup has also attracted some of the world’s biggest commercial names and the 17th edition will unveil its new Molten match ball after the Japanese sports manufacturing giants became the latest partners to recognise the ever-growing appeal of the AFC’s competitions. Off the pitch, UAE’s four hosts cities – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Sharjah are operationally ready to bring to life the tournament’s slogan of ‘Bringing Asia Together’, with hundreds of thousands expected to fill the eight stadiums and hundreds of millions more TV viewers set to witness the enthralling action over 51 matches. The AFC and LOC have also embarked on a mission to excite the world’s largest football stadium with a comprehensive campaign of fan and community engagement initiatives and contests driven on various platforms from interactive roadshows, to across the AFC’s digital channels as well a nationwide campaign aimed at inspiring women across the UAE. Tickets sales are currently on-going and have been set to an affordable rate of AED 25 to allow as many people as possible to experience world-class live football and the highly-successful Playmakers Programme continues to grow well beyond its initial projected 100 target, with over 240 individuals now close to representing all 24 of the competing nations. Likewise, the overwhelming response from the Volunteers’ Drive is expected to see its initial target of 5,000 doubled to 10,000 by the end of registration and the Team Bus Slogan contest has been a huge hit with the digital community. All eyes will now be on the January 5 opener as host nation UAE prepare to take on Bahrain at the Zayed Sport City Stadium in what promises to be a grand spectacle. As the four-year wait turns to months, the stage is set for UAE 2019 to surpass all expectations and take its place as the biggest and best-ever AFC Asian Cup in history.