Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: When the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 starts in Abu Dhabi on January 5, the continental championship will be kicking off for the 17th time since the inaugural tournament was held in Hong Kong in 1956.
Park Kyung-ho was part of the Korea Republic side that claimed the first-ever AFC Asian Cup. Here, he relives his memories of that historic tournament.
www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/video/afc_asian_cup_-_the_pride_of_asia.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: From the humblest beginnings, the AFC Asian Cup has grown into the greatest football show on the continent with the 17th edition, which kicks off in the United Arab Emirates in just 46 days, set to be the biggest and best ever.
But even in its earliest days, the prestige of claiming the continental crown brought with it fame, respect and a trip to the presidential palace. the-AFC.com retraces the AFC Asian Cup's journey through the years with the first of a four-part series.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Korea Republic claimed the first two AFC Asian Cup titles but, after near-misses in both 1956 and 1960, Israel sparked a shift in the balance of power in 1964, paving the way for an even more dominant force to take control.
After back-to-back runners-up finishes, persistence paid off as Israel added a new name to the AFC Asian Cup trophy as they claimed the title in front of their own fans when the country hosted the third edition of the continental championship.
As in the previous two tournaments, four nations played in the Finals with Korea Republic and Hong Kong featuring alongside the hosts and debutants India, who brought a strong track record with them into the competition.
The country had won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962 – their second in 11 years – but the pedigree counted for little as Israel defeated the South Asians 1-0 in the opening game thanks to a goal from Mordechai Spiegler.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: After Korea Republic and Islamic Republic of Iran notched up multiple wins in the first six editions of the AFC Asian Cup, the start of the 1980s brought with it another change in the landscape of the Asian game as teams from West Asia took a stranglehold on the sport.
Kuwait had signaled their status as one of the rising powers of Asian football in 1976 in reaching the final of the AFC Asian Cup on their debut appearance and, on home soil four years later, the Gulf state was to go one step further.
Once again the size of the competition increased, with 10 teams granted places at the Finals as Kuwait were joined by champions Iran as well as two-time champions Korea Republic, China PR, Bangladesh, Malaysia, DPR Korea, Qatar, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
The tournament was the first to feature multiple teams from West Asia and it was to kick-start a prolonged period of dominance by countries from the region.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: East Asian nations had little success at the AFC Asian Cup in the aftermath of Korea Republic’s back-to-back title wins in the competition’s formative years. However, after a period of west Asian dominance, the tide was about to turn as Japan emerged as the continent’s dominant force.
Japan’s AFC Asian Cup win on home soil in 1992 might have come as a surprise, but on hindsight it proved to be a precursor of a period of superiority whose roots lay in the advent of professionalism in the east Asian nation and a remarkable attention to detail.
Until the early 1990s the Samurai Blue had been a minor player at the AFC Asian Cup but, with the arrival of the J.League in 1993 and the dawn of an era that brought with it rapid development at all levels, Japanese football was on the rise.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: When the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 gets underway next month there will be more than 550 players hoping to have a celebration as the final concludes on February 1, but before that there are plenty amongst that number who will be having a smaller party of their own given that their birthday falls during the four-week extravaganza.
22 of the 24 participating nations will likely have a birthday boy amongst their ranks, with 2007 winners Iraq heading the list given they could potentially have seven players set to blow out the candles should they progress to at least the quarter-finals.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: The AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 is just a month away but the journey to the Continental showpiece started 44 months ago.
The bid to qualify for the biggest and best AFC Asian Cup - which will have an expanded 24 sides vying for glory - saw 46 teams in the fray, beginning with 12 countries in the first round of the Qualifiers back in March 2015.
Six teams then progressed to the second round, and by March of the following year, 12 teams - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Qatar, China PR, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Syria, Thailand, Iraq, Korea Republic and Uzbekistan - had confirmed qualification to UAE 2019 and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.