Asian Football Cup 2019 | Qualifications, drawing, qualifying tournament.

Asian Football Cup 2019 starts immediately after the New Year, and more about qualifications, draw, regulations, as well as participants in the tournament read further

Asian Cup in 2019

Asian Football Cup of 2019 is one of the most spectacular competitions designed to identify the strongest national team. The best national teams of the region will fight in this tournament, and Australia players will defend the champion title. Football in Asia is developing rapidly, as evidenced by an increase in the audience interest in the championships of China, the UAE, Iran. Therefore, the fans who decided to watch the matches of the Cup are unlikely to remain disappointed.

Where will it go?

Asian Cup 2019 will be held in the United Arab Emirates. The date of the competition is January 5 to February 1. All matches of the championship will be played at 8 football stadiums of the country, such as:

• Sheikh Zayed (Abu Dhabi);
• “Mohammed bin Zaed” (Abu Dhabi);
• “Al Nahayan” (Abu Dhabi);
• “Maktum ibn rashid here is Maktum” (Dubai);
• Zabel Stadium (El Ain);
• Hazza bin Zaed (El Ain);
• Sheikh Caliph (El Ain);
• Sharja (Sharja).

The most small stadium of the championship was Al Nahayan (only 10 thousand spectators). Only matches of the group stage will be played on it. The most modern arena is Sheikh Zayed in the capital of Abu Dhabi (capacity 49 500). The final match of the Cup on February 1, 2019 will take place here.

Qualifying tournament

24 national prefabricated AFK zones will take part in Asia. The UAE team was released from selection as a host country and automatically got to the tournament. Also in the tournament will be played by teams:

• Oman;
• Iraq;
• Iran;
• Qatar;
• China;
• Syria;
• India;
• Japan;
• Thailand;
• Palestines;
• Australia;
• Uzbekistan;
• South Korea;
• Saudi Arabia.

Initially, the remaining 23 vouchers were played in qualifications, which will end on March 27, 2018. At the first stage of selection, the 12 worst FIFA rating of football groups in Asia played in butt matches (houses and visiting). The winners of the games were the next stage.

Further, the remaining 40 teams were distributed to 8 subgroups of 5 commands each. After a two -circuit tournament, the winners of the subgroups, as well as the best 4 teams that were in second places moved to the third stage of qualification. The remaining teams will play among themselves the last 12 vouchers in the third round.

At the final stage of selection, 24 national squads will be divided into 6 subgroups. For each team, two matches are provided (at the home stadium and on the opponent’s field). The winners of the subgroups, plus the three best squads that were in second place, will take the final. The draw of the final part of the competition is scheduled for May 2018.

Regulations

Since 2019, cardinal changes will occur in the Asian Cup: instead of 16 national teams, 24 national teams will play in the final part of the tournament.The organizers of the championship wanted to increase the audience, and this goal is likely to be achieved. In connection with the expansion, the rules of the competition have also undergone changes. Now there are 6 quartets in the group stage.

16 teams advance to the playoffs (1/8 finals) – 12 teams that took first and second places, as well as 4 best teams that are in third place. Elimination stage matches are played until one of the teams wins. In the event of a tie in regular time, two additional halves of 15 minutes each are assigned, and then, if the score is equal, a penalty shoot-out breaks through.

Tournament favorites

Since there is still a lot of time before the Asian Cup, then make predictions for the winner from the category of guesswork on coffee grounds. Nevertheless, the list of championship favorites is quite stable and has changed little over the past decades. The main contenders for victory, and at the same time a ticket to the Confederations Cup-2021, will be:

• Japan (four-time Cup winner);
• Australia (winner of the previous championship);
• Saudi Arabia (2 titles);
• South Korea;
• Iran.

As you can see, the list is quite small. The level of football in Asia is progressing and many teams are already showing an interesting game. As a result, one of the dark horses will definitely shoot, forcing fans and sports experts to talk about themselves.

This event will be one of the most spectacular tournaments, because the best teams in the AFC zone will come together in the fight for the title. Fans are in for a lot of exciting matches, and Asian teams rarely sit on the defensive. Don't miss the start of the tournament on January 5th.