The world’s second-oldest Continental football competition will welcome an all-star cast of head coaches who have enjoyed success on the world’s biggest stages with China PR’s Marcelo Lippi boasting the most impressive resume, having guided Italy to the 2006 FIFA World Cup title in Germany.

Coming in a close second is Philippines head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson who led England to two quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups while Islamic Republic of Iran’s head coach Carlos Queiroz has the honour of helping three teams qualify for the FIFA World Cup – South Africa, then with his native Portugal and twice with Team Melli in 2014 and 2018.

Finding its way to the Emirates Group HQ Building at the Dubai International Airport, the new silverware was greeted by representatives from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the UAE 2019 Local Organising Committee as well as long-time AFC partners, Emirates Airlines.

AFC Tournament Director Shin Man Gil said: “The trophy tour for the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup was truly an epic journey as this was the first time a new trophy has been commissioned in over 62 years of the tournament’s proud history.

The Blue Tigers will be competing in the Continental showpiece for the fourth time in their history, having previously participated in the 1964, 1984 and 2011 editions.

Head coach Stephen Constantine had named a 34-man preliminary squad for the biggest-ever AFC Asian Cup which was trimmed to 28 before boarding the plane to Abu Dhabi. A final list of 23-players will be announced next week.

Playmakers from the participating countries took part in the latest workshop on the AFC Asian Cup, which inspired everybody to reach new levels of enthusiasm thanks to a motivational opening from fellow Playmaker – life coach Farhad Kardan, who currently lives between the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

Throughout the afternoon, guests exchanged uplifting stories, competed against each other in a number of activities from the interactive roadshow before uniting to compete in a football friendly match.

The AFC Asian Cup logos have transformed in every edition to showcase the distinctiveness of its host nation and the diversity of the Asian culture.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among just five Asian nations to have hosted the competition twice and the logos mark contrasting styles from when the West Asians first staged the competition in 1996.

The 1996 slogan depicted a rising nation from the West, showcasing the dynamism of the country’s three host cities – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain as well as the unity of the Continent.

As the build-up to the Continent’s ultimate showpiece hits fever pitch, passionate fans from all walks of life, across all nationalities are coming together to showcase their support for their teams in the UAE.

Epitomising the attributes of a die-hard fan is none other than Hajar Khalid, the 17-year old who fits the bill of a true Playmaker, on and off the pitch.

Having played the game since the age of four, the Iraqi footballer and school captain is putting her leadership skills to further use as a community ambassador, becoming the 600th Playmaker for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

After shortlisting the thousands of entries in phase one, each nation was then given a selection of three catchphrases to choose from in the second phase, which ended on November 1, 2018.

The month-long contest, which was launched to give football fans the opportunity to showcase their passion and be a part of the continental showpiece, was a major hit on social media with the second phase receiving over 105,000 votes across the AFC’s digital platforms.

Islamic Republic of Iran led the Continent in engagement numbers, garnering over 25,000 votes, with the winning slogan – Eighty Million People, One Nation, One Heartbeat – securing over 11,000 votes.